The instrument flight manual : the instrument rating & beyond [Eighth ed.] 9781619548664, 1619548666

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Instrument Flight Manual

The

The Instrument Rating & Beyond

Based on the original text by

William K. Kershner

8th Edition | Edited by William C. Kershner

AVIATION SUPPLIES & ACADEMICS NEWCASTLE, WASHINGTON

William K. Kershner began flying in 1945 at the age of fifteen, washing and propping airplanes to earn flying time. By this method he obtained the private, then the commercial and flight instructor certificates, becoming a flight instructor at nineteen. He spent four years as a naval aviator, most of the time as a pilot in a night fighter squadron, both shore and carrier based. He flew nearly three years as a corporation pilot and for four years worked for Piper Aircraft Corporation, demonstrating airplanes to the military, doing experimental flight-testing, and acting as special assistant to William T. Piper, Sr., president of the company. Bill Kershner held a degree in technical journalism from Iowa State University. While at the university he took courses in aerodynamics, performance, and stability and control. He held the airline transport pilot, commercial, and flight and ground instructor certificates and flew airplanes ranging from 40-hp Cubs to jet fighters. He is the author (and illustrator) of The Student Pilot’s Flight Manual, The Instrument Flight Manual, The Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual, The Flight Instructor’s Manual, and The Basic Aerobatic Manual. Kershner operated an aerobatics school in Sewanee, Tennessee using a Cessna 152 Aerobat. He received the General Aviation Flight Instructor of the Year Award, 1992, at the state, regional and national levels. The Ninety-Nines awarded him the 1994 Award of Merit. In 1998 he was inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame, in 2002 was installed in the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame, and in 2007 was inducted into the International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame. William K. Kershner died January 8th, 2007. Editor William C. Kershner received his early flight training from his father, William K. Kershner. He holds Commercial, Flight Instructor and Airline Transport Pilot certificates and has flown 22 types of airplanes, ranging in size from Cessna 150s to Boeing 777s, in his 15,000+ flight hours. He retired from commercial aviation as a 737 check airman and lives near Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and younger son.

The Instrument Flight Manual: The Instrument Rating & Beyond Eighth Edition William K. Kershner Illustrated by the Author © 2006–2019 Kershner Flight Manuals, LLC. Previous editions © 1998–2002 William K. Kershner; 1967–1977, Iowa State University Press. First Edition published 1967, Iowa State University Press. Eighth Edition published 2019 by Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages quoted in a review. Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc. 7005 132nd Place SE Newcastle, WA 98059-3153 [email protected] | asa2fly.com Cover photos: Front inset: Shutterstock ©RGtimeline and ©Nadezda Murmakova. Front and back: iStock ©zxeynosure and ©sambrogio Inside illustrations, for Eighth Edition: p. 2-15, courtesy Castleberry Instruments and Avionics; pp. 2-27, 2-28, 2-29, courtesy Dynon Avionics. (Past edition photo credits and acknowledgments listed on pp. R-3 through R-7.) ASA-FM-INST-8-PD eBook PD ISBN 978-1-61954-869-5 Softcover ISBN 978-1-61954-866-4

Contents Preface and Acknowledgments, ix Part One Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying 1 The Instrument Rating, 1-1 2 Flight and Engine Instruments, 2-1 3 Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control, 3-1 4 Basic Instrument Flying, 4-1

Part Two Navigation and Communications 5 Navigational Aids and Instruments, 5-1 6 Communications and Control of Air Traffic, 6-1

Part Three Planning the Instrument Flight 7 Weather Systems and Planning, 7-1 8 Charts and Other Printed Aids, 8-1 9 Planning the Navigation, 9-1

Part Four The Instrument Flight 10 11 12 13 14 15

Before the Takeoff, 10-1 Takeoff and Departure, 11-1 En Route, 12-1 Instrument Approach and Landing, 13-1 Instrument Rating Knowledge Test, 14-1 Instrument Rating Practical Test, 15-1

Part Five Syllabus Instrument Flight Manual Syllabus, S-1

Appendices A Chart Supplement U.S.: Airport/Facility Directory Legend, A-1 B En Route Low-Altitude Chart, B-1

References and Printing History Bibliography and Recommended Reading, R-1 Prefaces and Acknowledgments from Previous Editions, R-3

Index, I-1

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Dedication for the Seventh and Eighth Editions To Donna

Dedication for the First through Sixth Editions To the memory of William Thomas Piper, Sr. I still remember the courtesy Mr. Piper showed a 7-year-old boy with a kid’s idea for a modification to the Aztec. He took the time from his schedule as president of Piper Aircraft to write me a letter.

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Preface and Acknowledgments for the Eighth Edition My thanks to Laura Fisher, Alex Lorden, and Jackie Spanitz of ASA for their help and input on this eighth edition of The Instrument Flight Manual. Thanks also to Donna Webster, designated pilot examiner from Bakersfield, California, who gave me help by explaining the Instrument Rating—Airplane Airman Certification Standards and supplied examples of how she runs an instrument practical test. The prefaces and acknowledgments for the earlier editions are found at the back of the book.

Even though avionics and weather forecasting advancements are making life much easier and safer for the instrument pilot, the majority of the threats are still there. Just as it’s important to continually scan the instruments, it’s critical to scan ahead, both geographically and temporally for threats. Aviate, then Navigate, then Communicate. William C. Kershner Sewanee, Tennessee

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Part One Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

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The Instrument Rating For a long time now, you’ve sat on the ground and watched other pilots take off into weather that kept you haunting the airport office at Podunk Greater International Airport or other such well-known places. You squeaked in by the skin of your teeth (the airport went well below VFR minimums shortly after you got in and has been that way for days), and the bitter part is that the tops are running only 3,000 or 4,000 feet. It’s CAVU (Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited) above, and the weather at your destination is very fine VFR — and there you sit. That pilot over there on the computer is filing IFR and is going and doesn’t appear to have any more on the ball than you have. After a few occasions of this nature, you’ve decided to get that instrument rating. Or maybe your decision came about because one time you were a “gray-faced, pinheaded holeseeker” (Figure 1-1). Looking back at it, you’ll have to confess that you were pinheaded to get in such a predicament,

and while you couldn’t see your face, it sure felt gray from your side of it. If that hole hadn’t showed up when it did, well, that could have put you between a rock and a hard place. The instrument-rated pilot is still held in some awe by the nonrated people at the airport. The pilots with this rating don’t always try to dispel the awe, but that’s only human. Generally speaking, the two extreme schools of thought by those considering the instrument rating are: (1) It is a license to fly anywhere, anytime, and weather will no longer be an important consideration; or (2) it will be used only as an emergency method of getting down and may never be needed. If you belong to the first group, give up any idea of getting an instrument rating. You’ll be a menace to the rest of us clear thinkers and very likely have an exciting but extremely brief career. And you might take someone else with you.

Figure 1-1. The gray-faced pinheaded holeseeker has an exciting but often brief career.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

If you are in group 2, you could be wasting your time and money by getting an instrument rating for use only in an emergency — you may never use it. However, it is good training and would help the other areas of your flying, even if you never actually use the rating. Of course, you don’t fall into either of the extremes. You know that there will be times after getting the rating that you’ll still be sitting on the ground because of the weather. But you will be able to get out more often than is the case now. One thing you’ll notice as you work on the rating is that all your flying will become more precise. You’ll be much more aware of altitude and heading and how power and airspeed combinations affect performance.

The Requirements for the Instrument Rating — Airplane If you are getting the instrument rating “on your own” and not going through a formal program, you’ll have to think about a means of simulating instrument conditions in the airplane. One method is the hooded visor, which, when worn, cuts the vision to that of straight ahead only. It is the most simple and inexpensive arrangement, being worn like a cap, but it restricts side vision to the extent of requiring a great deal of head turning to adjust power, set radios, and check engine instruments. Such quick head turning tends to invite vertigo, a condition in which you know (well, you think you know) that the airplane is not doing what the instruments indicate. While we’re on the subject, some think that they can grab a hood and go out and practice instruments solo. Not only would that be a bad situation, it’s in violation of 14 CFR Part 91, which basically says no person may operate a civil aircraft in simulated instrument flight unless (1) an appropriately rated pilot occupies the other control seat as safety pilot, (2) the safety pilot has adequate vision forward and to each side of the aircraft or (3) a competent observer in the aircraft adequately supplements the vision of the safety pilot. If you are using a single-engine airplane for your instrument instruction and the instructor or safety pilot determines that the flight can be conducted safely (and you have a private certificate with appropriate category and class ratings), a single throwover control wheel may be used. In earlier times, dual control wheels were required for all types of instruction. Try to work it so that once you start on the rating you can go on with it. Don’t stretch the program over too long a period. Stretching it out may make it necessary to use a part of each flight as a review. It’s also best to be flying as you study for the knowledge test — one

area helps the other. But get the knowledge test out of the way before you have those last few hours of brushup time prior to the flight test. During the training period, when you’re out flying cross-country VFR, fly airways as much as feasible. Borrow or download a low-altitude IFR en route chart and fly as if you were on an IFR flight plan. Of course, if you are flying VFR, you actually will be flying some altitude plus 500 and will be looking out for other airplanes all the time. Also, you’ll do no hooded work unless you have an “appropriately rated pilot” in the right seat, but you can sharpen your navigation skills even while flying VFR. Get as much as possible of your dual instruction in the later stages on actual instruments, filing a flight plan, and flying in the clouds (with an appropriately rated instructor, of course). It’s a more realistic situation than practicing with the hood, and your confidence will be increased. This doesn’t mean that you and the instructor will go out and crack through the worst squall line you can find or fly into the worst icing conditions seen in your area for 29 years, but that you will choose the type of weather to “practice” in. The regulations are such that you don’t have to have any actual instrument experience in that 40 hours required for the rating; but if you do have some, you’ll enjoy that first flight on actual instruments more and sweat a lot less. You might talk to some of the approved schools in your area. (They are certificated under 14 CFR Part 141 and require less time.) Also, if you plan on getting a commercial certificate, not having an instrument rating can limit you severely, so that’s another reason to get cracking on this rating. After you get the rating, don’t go busting into IFR with a vengeance. Take it easy and set yourself comparatively high minimum weather conditions. As your experience increases and you get better equipment, you can gradually lower your minimums to those as published on the approach charts. You always have to keep up your proficiency to a safe level; if you get rusty, you have to ease back into it again. The synopsis below is a general look at the requirements as of this printing; get the latest issuances of 14 CFR §61.65 to be sure. The three most important rules of flying that apply to all levels of flight experience from student to airline transport pilot are, in order of importance: 1. Aviate (Fly The Airplane First). 2. Navigate. 3. Communicate.

Chapter 1 / The Instrument Rating

Synopsis of 14 CFR §61.65 The pilot holding an instrument rating is able to operate an aircraft (with ATC clearance) under instrument flight rules (IFR) and in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). To acquire the rating, you must hold at least a private pilot’s certificate (airplane) and be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language. You’ll receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or accomplish a home study course in the required aeronautical knowledge areas. You must receive an endorsement that you are ready for the knowledge test. Aeronautical knowledge will cover FAR and AIM information pertinent to IFR flight. You’ll learn about the ATC system, IFR navigation and instrument approaches, the use of IFR en route and approach charts, procurement and use of weather information, safe and efficient operations under instrument flight rules and conditions plus the recognition/avoidance of critical weather conditions, including wind shear. Aeronautical decision making (ADM) and crew resource management (CRM) will be covered. You must receive and log the required operational (flight/practical) training in an airplane (a flight simulator or flight training device can be used for part of the training, with restrictions). An endorsement stating that you are prepared for the practical test (also known as the flight test or checkride) is required.

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Operational training will cover preflight preparation and procedures, ATC clearances and procedures, flight solely by reference to instruments (you knew that had to be covered eventually), navigation systems, instrument approaches procedures and emergency situations. Post flight practices will be covered, but you’ll have to come up with your own retort to “Hey! Flight Service is on the phone! Something about not closing a flight plan.” For the actual flight training (aeronautical experience), the requirements are for 50 hours of crosscountry as PIC with at least 10 hours in an airplane (your cross-countries since you earned your private can count toward this time). Also, 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time covering the aeronautical area already listed (15 of these hours must be with an instructor in an airplane), and 3 hours of instrument training in an instrument-rating-appropriate airplane from a CFII (Certified Flight Instructor, Instrument) are required within 60 days of the practical test. You’ll need instrument flight training in crosscountry operations with a CFII, under IFR; IMC is not required — a view-limiting device is acceptable. In this training, you’ll file an instrument flight plan and fly a trip of at least 250 NM total, along airways or directed routing by ATC, with instrument approaches at each airport using 3 different kinds of approaches. This section also discusses, in more detail, how flight simulators and flight training devices may be used to meet some of the training requirements.

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Flight and Engine Instruments The flight instruments will naturally now be of even greater interest and value than before, and it is extremely important that you understand how they work. Not only must you know how to fly by reference to them, but you will have to be aware of what you as a pilot must do to keep them operating properly and be able to recognize signs of impending instrument or system failure. This chapter will cover the flight and other instruments of utmost importance to the instrument pilot. For instance, you know that the attitude indicator is one of the most important flight instruments, but to date you have probably paid very little attention to the suction gauge, which can give warning of possible problems with the attitude indicator and other vacuum-driven instruments. The ammeter will also be of added importance; an electrical failure while flying under instrument conditions would pose many more problems than if you lost the electrically driven flight instruments and radios during VFR operations. An electrical failure, for instance, could cause you to lose the airspeed indicator in icing conditions.

9. Fuel gauge indicating the quantity of fuel in each tank. 10. Landing gear position indicator if the aircraft has retractable landing gear. 11. For new airplanes (after 1996) an approved red or white anti-collision light system. If any light fails, you may continue to a stop where repairs can be made. 12. An aircraft for hire, flying “over-water,” must have flotation devices readily available for each occupant. At least one approved flare must also be carried onboard the aircraft. 13. An approved safety belt for each occupant who has reached his/her 2nd birthday. 14. For small civil airplanes manufactured after July 18, 1978, an approved shoulder harness for each front seat.

Required Instruments and Equipment (Paraphrased)

1. Approved position lights. 2. Approved red or white anti-collision light system. If any light fails, you may continue to a stop where repairs can be made. 3. If the aircraft is operated for hire, one electric landing light. 4. An adequate source of electrical energy for all installed electrical and radio equipment. 5. One spare set of fuses or three spare fuses of each kind required (if your airplane has fuses).

Visual Flight Rules (Day) For flying VFR (day) the airplane is required to have the following instruments and equipment (14 CFR Part 91): 1. Airspeed indicator. 2. Altimeter. 3. Magnetic direction indicator. 4. Tachometer for each engine. 5. Oil pressure gauge for each engine using pressure system. 6. Temperature gauge for each liquid-cooled engine. 7. Oil temperature gauge for each air-cooled engine. 8. Manifold pressure gauge for each altitude engine.

Visual Flight Rules (Night) For VFR flight at night, the following instruments and equipment are required in addition to those specified for VFR day flying:

It’s interesting to note that, based on the required equipment, you can legally fly VFR at night with visibilities down to 3 statute miles in an airplane with no attitude indicator, no turn and bank (or turn coordinator) and no heading indicator other than the magnetic compass. If there is no visible horizon, spatial disorientation could be a real problem. 2-1

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Instrument Flight Rules For IFR flight the following instruments and equipment are required in addition to those specified for VFR day and VFR night flying: 1. Two-way radio communications system and navigational equipment appropriate for the ground facilities to be used. 2. Gyroscopic rate of turn indicator except on large airplanes with a third attitude instrument system usable through flight attitudes of 360° of pitch and roll and installed in accordance with 14 CFR §121.305(j). 3. Slip-skid indicator. 4. Sensitive altimeter adjustable for barometric pressure. 5. A clock displaying hours, minutes, and seconds with a sweep-second pointer or digital presentation. 6. Generator or alternator of adequate capacity (VFR night flight could have used a battery). 7. Gyroscopic pitch and bank indicator (artificial horizon). 8. Gyroscopic direction indicator (directional gyro or equivalent). The above equipment lists are just a quick rundown of the requirements. 14 CFR §91.205 has all the details and exceptions laid out in FAR-language for your reading pleasure. Always have a current copy of the FAR/AIM available in your library (whether book or computer form).

Pitot-Static Instruments These are the flight instruments that indicate air pressure or changes in pressure and include the airspeed indicator, altimeter, and rate of climb (or vertical speed) indicator. All three require static pressure, but only the airspeed indicator requires pitot (dynamic) pressure as well.

pressures. The static tube allows the static pressure to enter the instrument case so that these two static pressures cancel each other as far as the diaphragm is concerned; it expands only as a function of the dynamic pressure. Dynamic pressure, sometimes called “q,” has the equation (ρ/2)(V2) where ρ (pronounced rho) is the air density in slugs per cubic foot, and V is the true velocity of the air in feet per second (fps). A slug is a unit of mass and may be found by dividing the weight of an object by the acceleration of gravity (32.2 fps/sec). Hence, a 161-pound man will have a mass of 5 slugs (161/32.2 = 5) regardless of the planet he is visiting. Note: It’s best not to use the term “slugs” when describing your significant other. Realizing that the dynamic pressure is made up of the combination of one-half the density times the true speed (squared) of the air particles, you can see that a calibrated airspeed (CAS) of 150 knots could result either from high density and comparatively low speed of the air or a lower density and higher true airspeed. The density of the air at sea level is 0.002378 slugs/ft3 (about 1/420th), and at a calibrated airspeed of 150 knots CAS would also be the true airspeed at sea level standard conditions (29.92 in. of mercury pressure at 59°F, or 15°C). The airspeed indicator cannot compensate for density change; it can only indicate the combination of density and velocity of the air. At 10,000 feet the air density is only about ¾ of that at sea level; hence, if the plane has a CAS of 150 knots at that altitude, it is meeting the fewer air particles at a higher speed than was done at sea level in order to get the same dynamic pressure (CAS). If you are interested in the mathematics of the problem, the following is presented: Dynamic pressure (psf) = ρ (V2) 2 At sea level V = 150 knots = 254 fps Dynamic pressure = 0.002378 × (254)2 2

Airspeed Indicator The airspeed indicator is an air pressure gauge calibrated to read in miles per hour or knots rather than pounds per square foot (psf). The airspeed system is made up of the pitot and static tubes and the airspeed indicator itself. As the airplane moves through the air, the relative wind exerts an impact pressure (or dynamic pressure) in the pitot tube, which expands a diaphragm linked to an indicating hand (Figure 2-1). In addition to the dynamic pressure, static air pressure also exists in the pitot tube. As shown in Figure 2-1, the diaphragm contains both dynamic and static



= 76.3 psf

A rule of thumb for finding dynamic pressure in pounds for various airspeeds is 2 psf = V (knots) 295

Using the earlier example of 150 knots, the answer would be

(150)2 = 22,500 = 76.27 psf (call it 76.3) 295 295

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

2-3

Figure 2-1. Airspeed indicator.

At 10,000 feet the standard air density is 0.001756 slugs/ft3. Since the airplane has a CAS of 150 knots at 10,000 feet, the dynamic pressure is also 76.3 psf, and the true airspeed or true relative speed of the air can be found by solving for V as follows: 76.3 = 0.001756 × V 2 2 V2 = 152.6 ; V = 152.6 0.001756 0.001756 V = 295 fps, or 175 knots You do this type of calculation with your computer (whether you know it or not). You can check the above with your computer (the standard temperature at 10,000 feet is -5°C). You don’t work with feet per second, however. You’ll note that an indicated (or rather calibrated) airspeed of 150 knots at 10,000 feet density-altitude gives a true airspeed of 175 knots (174+). In the illustration, it was assumed that the airspeed indicator was giving you the exact, straight story; this is not always the case. On your computer you are working with calibrated airspeed (CAS), which is the indicated airspeed (IAS) corrected for errors in the airspeed system (includes errors in the instrument plus errors in the pitot-static system, normally called position and/or installation errors). Your airplane may have an airspeed correction table that allows the correcting of IAS to CAS. In the majority of cases in practical application for smaller airplanes, airspeed system error is ignored and IAS is assumed to equal CAS in the cruise range.

At low speeds near the stall, however, the difference between IAS and CAS can be 10 knots or more. Figure 2-2 is a typical airspeed calibration chart for the normal static source. More about the alternate static source later. Another term used is equivalent airspeed (EAS), and this is CAS corrected for compressibility effects. This is not of consequence below 250 knots and 10,000 feet, so it’s not likely that you would need a compressibility correction table for your present work. Normally, your corrective steps will be IAS to CAS to TAS (true airspeed). If you have no correction card for instrument error, it will be IAS to TAS. If you are operating at altitudes and speeds where compressibility effects exist, note that the full number of steps would be IAS to CAS to EAS to TAS. The problem is that the static air in the pitot tube is being packed (compressed) and gives a high reading (remember that the pitot tube is measuring both dynamic and static pressures), so the effect is,

Airspeed Calibration Normal Static Source

CONDITION: Power required for level flight or maximum rated RPM dive. FLAPS UP KIAS KCAS

50 56

60 62

70 70

80 79

90 89

100 98

110 107

120 117

130 126

140 135

150 145

160 154

FLAPS 10° KIAS KCAS

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50 55

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FLAPS 30° KIAS KCAS

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Figure 2-2. Airspeed calibration chart (normal static source).

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

as far as the airspeed indication is concerned, that of a higher dynamic pressure than actually exists. In other words, the CAS is higher than it should be, and computing for EAS gives the true picture. Airspeed Indicator Markings The FAA requires that the airspeed indicator be marked for various important speeds and speed ranges (Figure 2-3 shows the required markings): Red line — Never exceed speed (VNE ). This speed should not be exceeded at any time. Yellow arc — Caution range. Strong vertical gusts could damage the airplane in this speed range; therefore, it is best to refrain from flying in this range when encountering turbulence of any intensity. The caution range starts at the maximum structural cruising speed (VNO) and ends at VNE. Green arc — Normal operating range. The airspeed at the lower end of this arc is the flaps-up, gear-up, power-off (wings-level, 1 g) stall speed at gross weight, VS1. For most airplanes the landing gear position (full up or full down) has little or no effect on stall speed. The upper end of the green arc is the maximum indicated airspeed (VNO) where no structural damage would occur in moderate vertical gust conditions (30 fps). White arc — The flap operating range. The lower limit is the power-off stall speed (VS0 ) with recommended landing flaps (might not be full flaps) at gross weight (gear extended and cowl flaps closed), and the upper limit is the maximum flap extended speed (full flaps).

Older airplanes have the airspeed indicator markings as calibrated airspeed in miles per hour or knots. Newer airplanes will have the airspeed markings as indicated airspeed in knots. As a general rule, 1976 model (and later) airspeed indicators will be marked in knots of IAS, but you should confirm this in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) or Airplane Flight Manual. (More about the POH at the end of this chapter.)

Altimeter The altimeter (Figure 2-4) is the most important of the three instruments of the pitot-static group as far as instrument flying is concerned. It is an aneroid barometer calibrated to read in feet instead of inches of mercury. Its job is to measure the static pressure (or ambient pressure as it is sometimes called) and register this fact in terms of feet or thousands of feet. The altimeter has an opening that allows static (outside) pressure to enter the otherwise sealed case. A series of sealed diaphragms or “aneroid wafers” within the case are mechanically linked to the three indicating hands. Since the wafers are sealed, they retain a constant internal “pressure” and expand or contract in response to the changing atmospheric pressure surrounding them in the case. As the aircraft climbs, the atmospheric pressure inside the instrument case decreases and the sealed wafers expand; this is duly noted by the indicating hands as an increase in altitude. Standard sea level pressure is 29.92 inches of mercury, and the standard sea level temperature is 15°C, or 59°F. The altimeter is calibrated for this condition, and any change in local pressure must be corrected by the pilot. This is done by using the setting knob to set the

Stall speed, landing flaps, gross weight

40

160

60

140 c: e ar ng ow ra Ye lul ti o n ca

120

Maximum structural cruising speed

e ng a rc : ra f u ll e f ng e lap o p eratin g rang

Red line (never exceed)

Stall speed, flaps up, gross weight

100

80

G re e n a rc: n o

rm

t hi i W rat e p al o

Maximum speed for full flaps

Figure 2-3. Airspeed indicator markings.

9 8

0

1 2

ALTITUDE

7

3 6

5

4

Figure 2-4. Altimeter. The 10,000-ft indicator (small wide triangle) and the hatched low-altitude warning flag won’t be shown in the exercises that follow in this book.

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

Indicated altitude is the altitude read when the altimeter is set to the local barometric pressure corrected to sea level as just mentioned. True altitude is the height above sea level (MSL). Absolute altitude is the height above the terrain (AGL). Pressure altitude is the altitude read when the altimeter is set to 29.92. This indication shows what your altitude would be if the altimeter setting was 29.92, if it was a standard-pressure day at sea level. Density-altitude is the pressure altitude computed with temperature; it is the altitude that dictates your aircraft’s performance (or lack thereof). If you know your density-altitude, air density can be found using tables and the airplane performance can be calculated. You go through this step every time you use a computer to find the true airspeed. You use the pressure altitude and the outside air temperature (OAT) at that altitude to get the true airspeed. Usually, there’s not enough difference in pressure altitude and indicated altitude to make it worthwhile to set up 29.92 in the setting window, so the usual procedure is to use the indicated altitude and OAT. The fact that the computer used pressure altitude and temperature to obtain density-altitude in finding true airspeed didn’t mean much, since you were only interested in the final result. You may not even have been aware that you were working with density-altitude during the process. Most computers also allow you to read the density-altitude directly by setting up pressure altitude and temperature. This is handy in figuring the performance of your airplane for a high-altitude and/or high-temperature takeoff or landing. The POH gives graphs or figures for takeoff and landing performance at the various density-altitudes. After finding your density-altitude, you can find your predicted performance in the POH. The manufacturer sometimes furnishes conversion charts with the POH (Figure 2-5).

ALTITUDE CONVERSION CHART THIS CHART SHOULD BE USED TO DETERMINE STANDARD (DENSITY) ALTITUDE FROM EXISTING TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE ALTITUDE CONDITIONS FOR USE WITH PERFORMANCE CHARTS

24000 STANDARD (DENSITY) ALTITUDE, FT.

proper barometric pressure (corrected to sea level) in the setting window. For instance, a station at an elevation of 670 feet above sea level has an actual barometric pressure reading of 29.45 in. of mercury according to its barometer. Since the pressure drop is 1.06 inches of mercury for the first 1,000 feet above sea level, an addition of 0.71 inches to the actual reading of 29.45 will correct the pressure to the sea level value of 30.16 inches of mercury. This, of course, assumes that the pressure drop is standard. This is the normal assumption and is accurate enough for indicated altitude. There are several altitudes that will be of interest to you:

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20000

STANDARD TEMPERATURE

16000

T.

DE, F

TITU E AL

UR RESS

0P

1600

0

1400

0

1200

12000

0

1000

8000

8000

6000 4000

4000

SL -40

2000 SL -20

0

20

40

60

80

100

TEMPERATURE, °F

Figure 2-5. Altitude conversion chart. Move up the 90° line until the 5,000-ft pressure altitude is reached; directly across from this point is the standard (density) altitude for that combination (8,000 feet). (Courtesy of Piper Aircraft)

Suppose you are at a pressure altitude of 5,000 feet, and the outside air temperature is 90°F. Using the conversion chart, you see that your density-altitude is 8,000 feet (Figure 2-5). Looking at the takeoff curves for your airplane, you can find your expected performance at that altitude. You and other pilots fly indicated altitude. When you’re flying cross-country, you will have no idea of your exact altitude above the terrain (although over level country you can check airport elevations in your area, subtract this from your indicated altitude, and have a ballpark figure). Over mountainous terrain, this won’t work, since the contours change too abruptly for you to keep up with them. As you fly, you’ll get altimeter settings from various ground stations; keep up-to-date on pressure changes so your indicated altitude will be correct. The use of indicated altitude for all planes makes good sense in that all pilots are using sea level as a base point, and proper assigned altitude separation results. Altimeter Errors Instrument or system error — If you set the current barometric pressure (corrected to sea level) for your airport, the altimeter should indicate the field elevation when you’re on the ground. 14 CFR Part 91 specifies that airplanes operating in controlled airspace (IFR) must have had each static pressure system and altimeter instrument

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

tested by the manufacturer or an FAA-approved repair station within the past 24 calendar months. Pressure changes — When you fly from a high-pressure area into a low-pressure area, the altimeter “thinks” you have climbed and will register accordingly — even if you haven’t changed altitude. You will see this and fly the plane down to the “correct altitude” and will actually be low. (This is a gradual process, and you will be easing down over a period of time to maintain what is the “correct altitude.”) When you fly from a lowto a high-pressure area, the altimeter thinks you’ve let down to a lower altitude and registers too low. A good way to remember (although you can certainly reason it out each time) is: HLH — High to Low, altimeter reads High. LHL — Low to High, altimeter reads Low. (High to Low — look out below!) You can see that it is worse to fly from a high-pressure to a low-pressure area as far as terrain clearance is concerned. Double-check altimeter settings as you fly IFR en route. Temperature errors — The equation of state, which shows the relationship between pressure, density, and temperature of the atmosphere, notes that atmospheric pressure is proportional to the temperature. If the temperature is above normal, the pressure will be higher than normal (constant density). Therefore, if you are flying at a certain indicated altitude and the temperature is higher than normal, the pressure at your altitude is higher than normal. The altimeter registers lower than your true altitude. If the temperature is lower, the pressure is lower and the altimeter will register accordingly — low temperature, altimeter reads high. You might remember it this way, using the letters H and L as in pressure change: Temperature High, altimeter reads Low — HL. Temperature Low, altimeter reads High — LH. Or maybe it’s easier to remember HALT (High Altimeter because of Low Temperature). For both temperature and pressure, remember “from High to Low, look out below.” The best thing, however, is to know that higher temperature means higher pressure (and vice versa) at altitude and reason it out from there. The temperature error is zero at sea level (or at the elevation of the station at which the setting is obtained) and increases with altitude so that the error could easily be 500–600 feet at the 10,000-ft level. In other words, you can have this error at altitude even if the altimeter reads correctly at sea level. Temperature error can be found with a computer, as shown in Figure 2-6. For indicated altitude this error is neglected; but it makes a good question for an instrument rating written exam or practical test, so keep it in mind.

1. Set outside air temperature (22°C) opposite pressure altitude (10,000 ft)

2. Opposite pressure altitude (inner ring), read corrected altitude (11,000 ft)

Figure 2-6. Correcting the altimeter for temperature errors.

These errors (particularly temperature errors, which are normally ignored) affect everybody in that area (though slightly differently for different altitudes), so that the altitude separation is still no problem. Temperature errors could cause problems as far as terrain clearance is concerned, however. A final altimeter note: For computer work you are told to use the pressure altitude to find the true airspeed. For practical work, use indicated altitude (current sea level setting) for true airspeed computations. Remember that the TAS increases about 2% per 1,000 feet, so the most you will be off will be 2%. That is, your sea level altimeter setting could possibly be 28.92 or 30.92, but this is extremely unlikely. So...assume that a total error of no more than 1% will be introduced by using indicated altitude. For a 200-knot airplane, this means you could be 2 knots off true airspeed. But the instrument error or your error in reading the instrument could be this much. As you progress in your instrument flying to heavier and more complex equipment, you’ll use altitude indicators such as encoding altimeters (used with the transponder) and radar altimeters (which give absolute altitude readings). These will be covered in more detail in later chapters as their use is introduced.

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

Rate of Climb or Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) Like the altimeter, the VSI has a diaphragm. But unlike the altimeter, it measures the rate of change of pressure rather than the pressure itself. The diaphragm has a tube connecting it to the static tube of the airspeed indicator and altimeter (or the tube may just have access to the cabin air pressure in the case of cheaper or lighter installations). This means that the inside of the diaphragm has the same pressure as the static pressure of the air surrounding the airplane. Opening into the otherwise sealed instrument case is a capillary tube, which also is connected to the static system of the airplane. Figure 2-7 is a schematic diagram of a typical VSI. As an example, suppose the airplane is flying at a constant altitude. The pressure within the diaphragm is the same as that of the air surrounding it in the instrument case. The rate of climb is indicated as zero.

Figure 2-7. Vertical speed indicator and how it reacts to a descent.

The plane is put into a glide or dive. Air pressure inside the diaphragm increases at the same rate as that of the surrounding air (1). However, because of the small size of the capillary tube, the pressure in the instrument case does not change at the same rate (2). In a glide or dive, the diaphragm expands; the amount of expansion depends on the difference between the pressures. Since the diaphragm is mechanically linked to a hand (3), the appropriate rate of descent in hundreds (or thousands) of feet per minute is read on the instrument face (4). In a climb the pressure in the diaphragm decreases faster than that within the instrument case, and the needle will indicate an appropriate rate of climb. In a climb or dive the pressure in the case is always “behind” the diaphragm pressure in this instrument, thus a certain amount of lag results. The instrument will still indicate a vertical speed for 6–9 seconds after the plane has been leveled off. That’s why the VSI is

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not used to maintain altitude. On days when the air is bumpy, this lag is particularly noticeable. The VSI is used, therefore, either when a constant rate of ascent or descent is needed or as a check of the plane’s climb, dive, or glide rate. The sensitive altimeter is used to maintain a constant altitude, although the VSI can show the trend away from a desired altitude — if you realize that the lag is present. On the other hand, the VSI will also give a slight early indication of the direction of the altitude change before it is detectable on the altimeter, but it takes time to establish an accurate rate. The pointer should read zero while the airplane is on the ground, and any deviation from this can be corrected by turning the adjustment screw on the instrument. You may also use the deviation (say, plus 100 feet) as the zero point. A 500-fpm climb would be performed at an indication of 600 fpm; a 500-fpm descent would call for the needle to be at a 400-fpm down-indication. It’s better, though, to have the instrument set properly. There is an IVSI (instantaneous vertical speed indicator) in some airplanes that does not have lag and is very accurate even in bumpy air. It contains a pistoncylinder arrangement whereby the airplane’s vertical acceleration is immediately noted. The pistons are balanced by their own weights and springs. When a change in vertical speed is effected, the pistons are displaced and an immediate change of pressure in the cylinders is created. This pressure is transmitted to the diaphragm, producing an almost instantaneous change in indication. After the acceleration-induced pressure fades, the pistons are no longer displaced, and the diaphragm and capillary tube act as on the old type of indicator (as long as there is no acceleration). The actions of the acceleration elements and the diaphragm-capillary system overlap for smooth action. It’s possible to fly this type of instrument as accurately as an altimeter, but its price is understandably higher than that of the standard vertical speed indicator.

The Pitot-Static System The three instruments just discussed must have a dependable source of static (outside) air pressure in order to operate accurately. Figure 2-8 shows a schematic diagram of the pitot-static system and the instruments. The static system shown in Figure 2-8 uses a Y-type vent system to decrease static errors in yaw. The locations of the static vents are carefully chosen to obtain the most accurate static (outside) pressure. The usual location is on each side of the fuselage between the wing and the stabilizer. (You’ve seen the signs, “Keep this vent clean.”) This is usually the most accurate system of those used.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

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VERTICAL SPEED

Figure 2-9. System with static opening in the pitot-static tube.

Figure 2-8. Pitot-static system using flush type Y static vents in the fuselage.

Another pitot-static system is shown in Figure 2-9. The static vent is located in the pitot-static tube. The system shown in Figure 2-9 is not usually as accurate as the Y system, and in addition, the static opening at this location may be more susceptible to icing over if the airplane does not have pitot heat. (An airplane that expects to fly in icing had better have pitot heat!) This could mean loss of all three of the pitotstatic instruments — not just the airspeed, as would be the case of the pitot tube Y vent system. (You’d still have static pressure to the airspeed indicator in the Y vent system but no impact pressure, so it would be out of the running if the pitot tube iced over. This will be covered in more detail at the end of this section.) The instruments in older light trainers get the static pressure from the cabin. Because of the effect of the air passing by the cabin, a venturi effect may result, and the static pressure will be lower than the actual outside pressure, which would mean a slightly high airspeed and altimeter indication. Once the airspeed is stabilized, the VSI will not be affected because it is a “rate” instrument and would measure change of pressure as mentioned earlier. 14 CFR Part 23 (Airworthiness Standards for Normal, Utility, Aerobatic and Commuter Category Airplanes certificated prior to September 2017) notes that the static air vent system must be such that the opening and closing of windows, airflow variation, and moisture or other foreign matter do not seriously affect its accuracy.

Pitot-Static System Problems Pitot system — The big problem you can expect to encounter as far as the pitot system is concerned is that of ice closing the pitot tube (pressure inlet). The airspeed will be the only instrument affected in this case. The application of pitot heat, if available, is the move to make. It is best, however, to apply pitot heat before you enter an area of suspected icing and leave it on until clear. However, the pitot heat is a great current drain, and under some abnormal conditions you may want to use it intermittently. Here is a little more detail about a blocked pitot tube. If the pressure is trapped in the pitot tube by ice or other debris, the airspeed will tend to increase erroneously as the airplane climbs. The static pressure in the case will decrease as the outside pressure decreases with altitude while the static pressure in the diaphragm stays the same, resulting in the diaphragm expanding and showing an “increase” in airspeed. The pilot raises the nose to correct for this (instead of also monitoring the attitude indicator), and there have been cases of stalls occurring in this situation. If the ram inlet is blocked and the water drainhole on the bottom of the pitot tube is not, the pitot tube pressure may escape and the airspeed will go to zero. Static system — The more complex airplanes have an alternate static source that can be used if the primary system should get stopped up. This normally consists of a selector that the pilot turns to the “alternate” setting, which opens the system to cabin air (nonpressurized cabin). This then may have the same inaccuracies discussed earlier for the older system. (But it’s a lot better than no static source at all.) Opening windows and vents and using the heater will affect the airspeed indicator readings on the alternate static source selections for many airplanes. With some airplanes the alternate static selection may cause the altimeter to read lower than normal at some indicated airspeeds, which would

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be the opposite you’d expect from “theory.” Check the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the airplane you are flying. Have at least a general figure for corrections for the airspeed and altimeter, using the alternate static source at cruise and expected approach speeds. For larger airplanes, a separate copilot alternate air source is available. Figure 2-10 shows the indications of the instruments just as the alternate static air system is selected. (The alternate system uses the cabin static air.) The airspeed and altitude have increased in this example, and the VSI is temporarily showing a climb (it will return to zero when the pressure stabilizes). Figure 2-11 is an alternate static source correction table for a particular airplane. Note that corrections have been made for heater and vents, opened or closed. Pressurized airplanes would naturally not have the alternate static source vented into the cabin, but it may be vented into the baggage compartment and other unpressurized areas.

40

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Figure 2-10. Instrument indications just as the alternate system (cabin air pressure) is selected. The vertical speed indicator will return to zero shortly and react normally thereafter, since it measures rate of change of pressure rather than the pressure itself. Compare the instrument indications with those in Figure 2-8.

Airspeed Calibration

Altimeter Correction

NOTES: 1. Indicated airspeed assumes zero instrument error. 2. The following calibrations are not valid in the pre-stall buffet.

NOTE: Add correction to desired altitude to obtain indicated altitude to fly.

Alternate Static Source

9

Alternate Static Source

Vents and Heater Closed

Vents and Heater Closed

CORRECTION TO BE ADDED – FEET

FLAPS UP NORMAL KIAS ALTERNATE KIAS

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Figure 2-11. Airspeed and altimeter corrections for the alternate static source for a particular airplane. (From Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual)

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For airplanes without an alternate static source, one last-ditch method of getting static pressure to the three instruments is to break the glass on the face of the rate of climb (VSI) instrument, since it is considered the least important of the three; but stop a minute: Figure 2-12 is another picture of the rate of climb instrument, showing the effects of using it (vertical speed) as a source of static pressure for the system.

Figure 2-12. Using the vertical speed indicator as a method of obtaining a static source.

Note that the only source of static pressure is through the face of the instrument and thence through the capillary tube into the static system. Because the capillary tube is specifically designed to create a lag in pressure changes, the airspeed and altimeter will lag in response as compared to the “true” static pressure changes. The rate of climb will indicate in reverse as can be seen by analyzing Figure 2-12. Compare what would be happening with that discussed in the normal action of the rate of climb. In Figure 2-12, if the airplane climbs, the static pressure in the case surrounding the diaphragm would drop immediately while the pressure in the diaphragm would still be holding up, since the change must “work its way” through the capillary tube. The diaphragm would expand, which would give an indication that the plane was descending! It might be added that the rate would be accurate; the direction of vertical speed would be wrong. Of course, if you broke the glass and punched on through to leave a good-sized hole in the diaphragm, the other two instruments wouldn’t have any lag (just the errors mentioned previously), but your VSI would be kaput. By breaking the glass in the airspeed or altimeter (easy does it!), all three instruments will be about as accurate as they would be with a cabin alternate source. The theoretical results of a suddenly and completely plugged static system in flight would be: Airspeed — The airspeed would still be accurate as long as the static pressure trapped in the system was the same as the actual “outside” static pressure. If the airplane descended, the actual static pressure would be

greater than that trapped in the system, so the airspeed would read high. If the airplane climbed, the airspeed would read low. You can see this by looking back at Figure 2-1. At the lower altitude, the diaphragm would expand farther than normal for a particular dynamic pressure because only a part of the static pressure entering the pitot tube would be canceled by the now comparatively low static pressure trapped in the case. Naturally, the degree of error would depend on the altitude change. If the trapped static pressure has a pressure of that found at 10,000 feet, the airplane has descended, and the pitot tube is taking in the true dynamic or impact pressure plus the static pressure of sea level, the result would be an airspeed of awesome values indeed! Altimeter — The altimeter would read the altitude at which the complete stoppage occurred — and that’s all. This would be a hairy IFR situation in that you might be easing up (or down) into the next guy’s assigned altitude — or you might be easing down to connect with a cloud full of rocks. Vertical speed indicator — The same thing will happen to this as happened to the altimeter — nothing. Easing the nose up or down in cruise by watching the attitude gyro does not result in an indication of rate of climb or descent on the VSI. What will be more likely to happen is that all instruments will lag considerably with altitude change because the system itself will not be perfectly sealed throughout. If you have reason to believe that the normal static system is plugged, you’d better switch to the alternate or carefully break the glass of the VSI. It might be better to wreck the rate of climb as mentioned rather than to risk damaging the other two instruments. (Leave the altimeter alone.) 14 CFR §91.411 states that no person may operate an airplane in controlled airspace under IFR (1) unless (within the preceding 24 calendar months) each static system, altimeter instrument, and automatic pressurealtitude reporting system has been tested and inspected and found to comply with certain requirements of 14 CFR Part 43 and (2) unless (except for the use of system drain and alternate static pressure valves), following any opening and closing of the static pressure system, that system has been tested and inspected and found to comply with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 43. (This has been paraphrased; check the actual detailed requirements in 14 CFR Part 91.)

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

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Magnetic Indicators Magnetic Float Compass The magnetic compass is basically a magnet that aligns itself with the lines of the earth’s magnetic field — the airplane turns around it. The magnets in the compass also tend to align themselves parallel to the earth’s lines of magnetic force. This tendency is more noticeable as the Magnetic North Pole is approached. The compass would theoretically point straight down when directly over the pole. The compass card magnet assembly is mounted so that a low center of gravity fights this dipping tendency. This mounting to fight dip causes errors to be introduced into the compass readings as discussed below. Northerly Turning Error In a shallow turn the compass leads by about 30° when passing through South and lags about 30° when passing through North. On passing East and West headings in the turn, the compass is approximately correct. (The value of 30° is a round figure for U.S. use; it’s actually considered equal to the latitude of the area in which the compass is being used.) For instance, you are headed South and decide to make a right turn and fly due North. As soon as the right bank is entered, the compass will indicate about 30° of right turn, when actually the nose has hardly started to move. So, when a turn is started from a heading of South, the compass will indicate an extra fast turn in the direction of bank. It will then hesitate and move slowly again, so that as the heading of West is passed, it will be approximately correct. The compass will lag as North is approached, so that you will rollout when the magnetic compass indicates 330° (or “33”). To be more accurate, you should start the roll-out early — the number of degrees of your latitude plus the number of degrees you would allow for the roll-out. Thus at a latitude of 35° N, using 5° for roll-out, you would start the roll-out 40° early or, in this case, when 320° is indicated. Figure 2-13 shows the reactions of the compass to the 180° right turn from a heading of South. If you had made a left turn from a South heading, the same effects would have been noticed: an immediate indication of turn in the direction of bank, a correct reading at the heading of East, and a compass lag of 30° when headed North. If you start a turn from a heading of North, the compass will initially register a turn in the opposite direction but will soon race back and be approximately correct as an East or West heading is passed. It will then lead by about 30° as the airplane’s nose points to

Figure 2-13. (A) When the airplane is flying straight and level, headed Magnetic South, the compass is correct (disregarding deviation). (B) As soon as the bank is entered, the compass indicates 210° (“21”). (C) As the nose passes West, the compass is reasonably accurate. (D) In this example the airplane has been quickly rolled out when the compass indicated “33.” The compass will immediately start to roll to indicate North. For accuracy, turns using the compass as a reference should be held below 20° bank.

Magnetic South. The initial errors in the turn are not too important. Set up your turn and know what to expect after the turn is started. Here is a simple rule to cover the effects of bank (assuming a shallow bank of 20° or less; if the bank is too steep, the rule won’t work). Northerly turning errors (Northern Hemisphere): North heading — Compass lags 30° at the start of the turn or in the turn. South heading — Compass leads 30° at start of the turn or in the turn. East or West heading — Compass correct at start of the turn or in the turn. Just remember that North lags 30° and South leads 30°, and this covers the problem. Actually 30° is a round figure; the lead or lag for rolling out of a turn depends on the latitude and angle of bank being used, but 30° is close enough for the work you’ll be doing with the magnetic compass and is easy to remember. Acceleration Error Because of its correction for dip, the compass will react to acceleration and deceleration of the airplane. This is most apparent on East or West headings where acceleration results in a more northerly reading. Deceleration gives a more southerly heading. Remember the term ANDS (Accelerate and the compass “turns” North; Decelerate and the compass “turns” South). The magnetic compass reads correctly only when the airplane is in straight and level unaccelerated flight

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

(and sometimes not even then). In bumpy air the compass oscillates so that readings are difficult to take and more difficult to hold. The fluid in the case (acid-free white kerosene) is designed to keep the oscillations at a minimum, but the problem is still there. Variation The magnetic compass naturally points to the Magnetic North Pole, and this leads to the necessity of correcting for the angle between the Magnetic and Geographic North Poles. In your earlier VFR flying days, you measured the course from a midpoint meridian; this was the “True Course” or the course referred to as the True or Geographic North Pole. To get the magnetic course, the following applied (and still does). Going from True to Magnetic: East is least — Subtract the East variation as shown on the sectional. West is best — Add the West variation as shown on the sectional. The variation (15° E or 10° W, etc.) given by the isogonic lines means that the Magnetic North Pole is 15° East or 10° West of the True North Pole — from your position. Naturally, if you happen to be at a point where the two poles are “in line,” the variation will be zero. Courses on IFR en route charts and approach charts are oriented with respect to Magnetic North, so variation is already taken care of for that type of flying. Deviation The compass has an instrument error due to electrical equipment and the ferrous (iron) metal parts of the plane. This error varies between headings, and a correction card is placed near the compass, showing these errors for each 30°. The compass is “swung” or corrected, on a compass rose — a large calibrated circle painted on the concrete ramp or taxiway away from metal interference such as hangars. The airplane is taxied onto the rose, and corrections are made in the compass with a nonmagnetic screwdriver. The engine should be running and normal radio and electrical equipment should be on, with the airplane in a level-flight attitude. Attempts are made to balance out the errors; it is better to have all headings off a small amount than some correct and others badly in error. The corrections are noted on the compass card, which is posted at a prominent spot near the compass. As a review for navigation purposes (and for use on the written if necessary) the following steps would apply: Remember TVMDC or The Very Mean Department of Commerce (left over from the days when aviation was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce).

1. True course (or heading) plus or minus Variation gives Magnetic course (or heading). 2. Magnetic course (or heading) plus or minus Deviation gives Compass course (or heading). The chances are that in your normal flying you’ve paid little attention to deviation and have been doing fine. But remember, now that you plan on getting that instrument rating, there’ll be some pretty good questions on the subject, so it might be a good idea to start thinking about it again. If you lost all gyro instruments and had no other method of keeping the wings level during a descent to get out of clouds, the magnetic compass could be used. Set up a heading of South on the mag compass. A deviation from this heading would mean that the wings weren’t level and the airplane was turning. You would make corrections as necessary to stay on the South heading. Why South? One reason is that acceleration errors are smallest on North or South headings. Another is that the compass deviations on a South heading are in the proper direction and exaggerated. (On a heading of North, any bank will cause the compass to swing in the opposite direction. This could be confusing for wing leveling purposes.) The magnetic float compass has many quirks, but once you understand them, it can be a valuable aid. One thing to remember — the mag compass “runs” on its own power and doesn’t need electricity or suction to operate. This feature may be important to you some day when your other more expensive direction indicators have failed.

Remote Indicating Compass A more sophisticated and expensive type of directional indicator is the remote indicating compass. The transmitter or magnetic “brain” of the assembly is usually located at a position well away from disturbing elements of iron or electrical leaks — often in or near one of the wing tips. The transmitter is electrically connected through an amplifier to the indicator on the instrument panel. Figure 2-14 shows some components. This one is connected or synchronized to a gyro for damping the oscillations, in which case they are called magnetic slaved gyro compasses. The magnetic compass is continually correcting the precession of the gyro automatically instead of the pilot manually resetting the heading indicator by reference to the float compass during the flight. Note that the system in Figure 2-14 has a selector by which the system can either be a slaved or a free gyro. (Near the magnetic poles the magnetic compass has large errors, so the free gyro selection is best in

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

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those areas.) The slaving rate (when a slaved compass is selected) may be in the order of 2°/minute, and a synchronizing knob can be used to reset the indicating hand for large deviations such as might exist when the equipment is turned on for the flight (Figure 2-14). There are several different designs of this type of compass gyro, and the basic characteristics were covered in a general manner here. You should make it a point to become familiar with the advantages and limitations of this instrument if your plane is so equipped. You could get in trouble if you rely too much on the slaved compass and don’t check it against the wet compass often. If the checks show that the slaved compass has failed, you’ll have to use normal nonslaved techniques.

Gyro Flight Instruments Principles of Operation Figure 2-14. Slaved compass system. (1) The pictorial navigation indicator here is the panel display for the slaved system (which only affects the heading indicator function). The contrasting colors of the indicators aren’t seen here. (2) The slaving control and compensator is panel mounted and the pilot can select either the slaved or free gyro modes. The meter indicates when the system is being slaved. (3) The magnetic slaving transmitter (remote mounted). (4) The gyro stabilization unit containing the slaving circuitry (remote mounted). (Courtesy of Bendix-King)

The gyro instruments depend on two main properties of the gyroscope for operation: “rigidity in space” and “precession.” Once spinning, the gyroscope resists any effort to tilt its axis (or plane of rotation). The attitude indicator and heading indicator operate on this principle. If a force is exerted to try to change the plane of rotation of a rotating gyro wheel, the gyro resists. If the force is insistent, the gyro reacts as if the force had been exerted at a point 90° around the wheel (in the direction of rotation). Precession is the property used in the operation of the needle of the turn and slip indicator (or needle and ball as you may call it) (Figure 2-15).

Figure 2-15. Rigidity in space and precession are the two principles used in operation of gyro instruments.

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Vacuum-Driven Instruments For the less expensive airplanes, the gyro instruments are usually vacuum-driven, either by an engine-driven pump or a venturi system. A disadvantage of the venturi system is that its efficiency depends on airspeed, and the venturi tube itself causes slight aerodynamic drag. Although a venturi system can be installed on nearly any airplane in a short while, the engine-driven vacuum or pressure pump is best for actual instrument operations, since it starts operating as soon as the engine(s) start. Multiengine airplanes have a vacuum pump on each engine so that the vacuum- or pressure-driven instruments will still operate in the event of an engine failure. Each pump has the capacity to carry the system. The multiengine airplane will have either a manual or automatic means to select each power source and a means to indicate the power being supplied by each source. The failure of an instrument or energy supply from one source will not interfere with the operations of the other instruments or source. The vacuum- or pressure-driven gyro instruments usually operate at a suction of 4.5–5.2 in. of mercury (29.92 in. of mercury is standard sea level pressure). The 4.5–5.2 in. of mercury shows a relative difference

between the outside air pressure and the air in the vacuum system. The operating limits for the attitude and heading indicators are normally from a suction of 3.8– 4.2 in. of mercury, whereas the vacuum-driven turn and slip uses a suction of 1.8–2.1 or 4.6–5.2 in. of mercury. The automatic pilot may use one or more of the panel gyros as its “brain” and the usual requirement is for a higher suction. Although the earlier suction figures probably will apply, check for the normal values for your particular airplane and equipment. Errors in the instruments may arise as they age and bearings become worn or as the air filters get clogged with dust. Low suction means low rpm and a loss in efficiency of operation. One of the greatest enemies of the vacuum-driven gyro instruments is tobacco smoke. The gum resulting from smoking in the cabin over a period of time can cause filter(s) and operational problems. Figure 2-16 shows a simple vacuum system (A) and a system with an electronic backup vacuum pump (B). The standby system should be checked during the preflight inspection of the first flight of the day and/or when IFR flight is anticipated. Note that the standby pump is electrically driven. It’s checked by turning the master switch ON, turning the standby switch ON, checking the suction gauge for 4.5–5.2 in. of mercury,

Figure 2-16. (A) Normal vacuum system and (B) a system with an electric standby vacuum pump.

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

and noting that the low-vacuum warning light is OFF. (Secure the master and pump switches after this check.) There may be a small compass deviation existing anytime the standby vacuum pump is operating. Figure 2-17 shows some electrically operated gyro instruments. Note that each has a warning flag to indicate loss of power (arrows).

Electrically Driven Instruments The electrically driven gyro instruments got their start when high-performance aircraft such as jets began to operate at very high altitudes. The vacuum-driven instruments lost much of their efficiency in the thin air, and a different source of power was needed. Below 30,000 feet, either type of gyro performs equally well. It is common practice to use a combination of electrically and vacuum-driven instruments for safety’s sake if one type of power source should fail. A typical gyro instrument group for a single-pilot airplane would probably include a vacuum-driven attitude indicator and heading indicator and an electric turn and slip or turn coordinator. Large airplanes may have multiple electric sources for the two sets of pilot instruments with one set able to operate with only the aircraft battery if all generators fail. There may also be an independently powered standby flight instrument (combined attitude indicator, ASI, and heading indicator) with its own battery. Many of the newer attitude indicators will not tumble, and aerobatics such as loops, rolls, etc., may be done by reference to the instrument. (Also see Figure 2-19.) I have done rolls using the attitude indicator (and airspeed) and spin recoveries using the turn coordinator. The examiner requested (and got) a spin under the hood on my instrument checkride.

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maintains this position, with the airplane (and instrument case) being moved about it (Figures 2-18 and 2-19). Attached to the gyro is a face with a contrasting horizon line on it. When the instrument is operating correctly, this line will always represent the actual horizon. A miniature airplane attached to the case moves with respect to this artificial horizon precisely as the real airplane moves with respect to the real horizon. A knob allows you to move the miniature airplane up or down to compensate for small deviations in the horizontal line position. This instrument allows the pilot to get an immediate picture of the plane’s attitude. It can be used to establish a standard-rate turn if necessary, as can be shown:

Figure 2-18. Two types of attitude indicators. The one on the right is an older type of instrument.

Attitude Indicator The attitude indicator (attitude gyro) operates on the “rigidity in space” principle and is an attitude instrument. The plane of rotation of the gyro wheel is horizontal and

Figure 2-17. Electrically operated attitude and directional gyros. Note warning flags (arrows). (Courtesy of Castleberry Instruments and Avionics)

Figure 2-19. Air-operated (vacuum) attitude indicator. (Courtesy of Castleberry Instruments)

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A good rule of thumb to find the amount of bank needed for a standard-rate turn at various airspeeds is to divide airspeed in knots by 10 and add one-half of the answer. For 130 knots (150 mph), the angle of bank required is: 130 = 13 + (one-half of 13) = 13 + 6.5 = 19.5° of bank required (call it 20°).

E 12

30 W

6

24

3

W 30 24

N 33

3

12

15

S

21

Figure 2-20. Types of heading indicator presentations. The older type is at the top of the illustration.

It’s very important that you set the heading indicator (or directional gyro) with the magnetic compass before taking off on an IFR flight. Figure 2-21 shows how a heading indicator might be set during the pretakeoff check at the end of the runway. Take a good look at it. The advantage of the heading indicator is that it does not oscillate in rough weather and gives a true reading during turns when the magnetic compass is erratic. A setting knob is used to cage the instrument for aerobatics and to set the proper heading.

E 1 2

33 N

3

6

15 S 21

24 W 30

The heading indicator functions because of the principle of “rigidity in space” as did the gyro horizon. In this case, however, the plane of rotation is vertical. The heading indicator has a compass card or azimuth scale that is attached to the gyro gimbal and wheel. The wheel and card are “fixed” by the gyro action, and as in the case of the magnetic compass, the airplane turns around them (Figure 2-20). The heading indicator has no magnet that causes it to “point” to the Magnetic North Pole and must be set to the heading indicated by the magnetic compass. The heading indicator should be set when the magnetic compass is reading correctly. This is generally done in straight and level flight when the magnetic compass has “settled down.”

N

E

Heading Indicator

33

6

There are limits of operation on the less expensive vacuum-driven attitude indicators, and these are, in most cases, 70° of pitch (nose up or down) and 100° of bank. The gyro will “tumble” above these limit stops and will give false information when forced from its rotational plane. The instrument also will give false information during the several minutes required for it to return to the normal position after resuming straight and level flight. “Caging” is done with a knob located on the front of the instrument. Because it is possible to damage the instrument through repeated tumbling, this caging is a must before you do deliberate aerobatics. The caging knob is useful also for quickly resetting the attitude indicator if it has tumbled. Some attitude indicators have caging knobs, some don’t. The caging knobs are often removed by the aircraft manufacturer for various reasons, and if the instrument has tumbled, several minutes of straight and level flight may be required to let it erect itself again. While the chances are slim of tumbling the attitude indicator while maneuvering, it is very important to maintain proficiency in flying the turn and slip indicator or turn coordinator. Keep an eye on the actions of your attitude gyro day by day as you fly it. If it’s wobbling, slow to erect itself, or has excessive errors, don’t use the airplane for IFR work until the attitude indicator is repaired.

S 21 15



Figure 2-21. Set the heading indicator to the magnetic compass before takeoff (and during the flight too). There’s a problem here; sometimes you’ll subconsciously tend to “match” the relative positions of the compass lubber line and the heading indicator pointer and get a wrong setting (the compass indicates 100° and the heading indicator shows 080°). The 20° error here could cause significant confusion after lift-off. The best procedure is to state it again as you set the heading indicator.

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Figure 2-22. Different types of heading indicators (directional gyros). (A) Heading indicator with an airline-style face (4.5–5.2 in. of mercury). (B) Popular general aviation presentation (4.5–5.2 in. of mercury). (C) Horizontal situation indicator, which combines a heading indicator with VOR and/or ILS information. More about this in Chapter 5. (Courtesy of Castleberry Instruments and Avionics)

A disadvantage of the older types of heading indicators is that they tumble when the limits of 55° nose up or down or 55° bank are exceeded. Although, if you happen to be maneuvering (pitching or rolling) parallel to the plane of rotation of the gyro wheel, this limitation does not apply. For instance, on some heading indicators, the plane of rotation of the gyro is in the 090°–270° line through the card. The airplane could be looped starting at a heading of 090° or 270° without tumbling. Other makes have the plane of rotation on the 180°–360° line through the instrument card, and the rule just cited would be in reverse. You shouldn’t be doing such actions, but it’s an interesting note. The heading indicator creeps and must be reset with the magnetic compass about every 15 minutes. (More than 3° per 15 minutes is considered excessive.) More expensive gyros are connected with a magnetic compass in such a way that this creep is automatically compensated for as noted earlier (slaved gyros). The greatest advantage of the “plain” heading indicator is that it allows you to turn directly to a heading without the allowance for lead or lag necessary with a magnetic float compass, but it doesn’t have a brain and you must set it by that compass. Figure 2-22 shows examples of air-driven heading indicators.

In a slip there is not enough rate of turn for the amount of bank. The centrifugal force will be weak, and this imbalance will be shown by the ball’s falling down toward the inside of the turn. The skid is a condition in which there is too high a rate of turn for the amount of bank. The centrifugal force is too strong, and this is indicated by the ball sliding toward the outside of the turn. Usually, a turn in an airplane is considered to be balanced if more than onehalf the ball is within the indicator marks. The turn part of the turn and slip indicator, or “needle” as it is called, uses precession to indicate the direction and approximate rate of turn of the airplane. Older turn and slip indicators are calibrated so that a “standard-rate turn,” of 3°/second will be indicated by the needle being off center by one needle width. This means that, by setting up a standard-rate turn, it

Turn and Slip Indicator The turn and slip indicator is actually two instruments. The slip indicator is merely a liquid-filled, curved glass tube containing an agate or steel ball. The liquid acts as a shock damper. In a balanced turn, the ball will remain in the center as centrifugal force offsets the pull of gravity (Figure 2-23).

Figure 2-23. The ball in the turn and slip is kept centered in a balanced turn by the forces acting upon it.

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Figure 2-24. The needle in the turn and slip or the small airplane in the turn coordinator indicates the rate at which the nose is moving; the ball indicates the quality of the turn.

is possible to roll out on a predetermined heading by the use of a watch or clock. It requires 120 seconds or 2 minutes to complete a 360° turn. Later types of turn and slip indicators are calibrated so that a double needle-width indication indicates a standard-rate turn. The 2-minute (i.e., standard rate) right turn in Figure 2-23 is indicated by the needle being lined up on the right “doghouse.” If your heading is 030° and you want to roll out on a heading of 180°, first decide which way you should turn (to the right in this case). The amount to be turned is 180° – 030° = 150°. The number of seconds required at standard rate is 150 ÷ 3 = 50. If you set up a standardrate turn and hold it for 50 seconds and roll out until the needle and ball are centered, the heading should be very close to 180°. One thing often brought up in the knowledge test for the instrument rating (and missed) is that the needle deflection tells whether the turn is standard rate or not and the ball has nothing to do with it. If the needle is deflected the proper amount for a standard-rate turn, the nose of the airplane is moving around at a rate of 3°/second. The turn may be slipping, skidding, or balanced. The ball indicates the quality of the turn. Figure 2-24 shows three variations of an airplane making a standard-rate turn to the right. The airspeeds are the

same (130 knots) in each case, requiring a 20° bank for a balanced standard-rate turn. The advantage of the turn and slip over other gyro instruments is that it does not “tumble” or become erratic as certain bank and pitch limits are exceeded. A disadvantage of the turn and slip is that it is a rate instrument, and a certain amount of training is required before the pilot is able to quickly transfer the indications of the instrument into a visual picture of the airplane’s attitudes and actions. The gyro of the turn and slip, like the other gyro instruments, may be driven electrically or by air, using an engine-driven vacuum pump or an outside-mounted venturi. An interesting note is that the turn and slip becomes less accurate as the bank increases. For instance, in a level turn at a 90° bank (if you could hold it), the needle should theoretically come back to the center after the turn is established, indicating that the airplane is not turning at all. (You are doing a loop in a horizontal plane.) Turn Coordinator The turn coordinator has the advantage of showing both roll and yaw, making it easier to level the wings. The wheel reacts to precession around an axis that is tilted 30° upward compared to the turn and slip. Once the

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

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of curiosity, it will now be a matter of vital interest in the temperature range where icing may occur. The usual type of thermometer used is that of the bimetal direct reading type. The fact that two dissimilar metals have different expansion (or contraction) rates with temperature change makes possible a comparatively simple method of registering this change. The two strips of metal are welded together in the form of a coil spring. One end is anchored, and the other is attached to an indicating hand. The thermometer may read in Celsius or Fahrenheit and is marked in both scales for most instruments. The probe or pickup is in the free airstream, and the dial faces into the cockpit for ready reference. (The instrument is normally at a corner or at the top of the windshield.) Because of errors in the individual instrument and effects in location (it should register the exact ambient or true temperature of the air), you should look for the possibilities of structural icing when in visible moisture and the temperature is down to within a few degrees of freezing. As airspeed increases, air friction affects the accuracy of the OAT gauge, so the indicated temperature needs to be corrected. Figure 2-26 is a correction chart for the outside air temperature gauge for a particular airplane.

roll is stopped (the bank is established), the yaw rate is indicated. Figure 2-25 compares the face presentations and theory of operations of the turn and slip indicator and the turn coordinator.

Outside Air Temperature (OAT) Gauge The OAT falls into a category of its own, but it is very important for instrument flying and should be covered as such. The OAT (or free-air thermometer) will assume much greater importance now that you’ll be flying IFR. Whereas previously the OAT has been mostly a matter

Gyro wheel

Turn coordinator

Gyro wheel

Turn and slip

Figure 2-25. Electric turn coordinator and turn and slip showing gyro wheel arrangements.

TEMPERATURE RISE DUE TO RAM RECOVERY NOTE: 1. Subtract temperature rise from indicated outside air temperature to obtain true outside air temperature

°C 15

30

25

TEMPERATURE RISE

20

20

10

15 10 5 10

0

PRESSURE ALTITUDE – 1000 FEET

°F

SL 5

0 80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

AIRSPEED – KIAS

Figure 2-26. Ram recovery temperature rise chart for a particular airplane. At 160K and 10,000 feet, you would subtract 4°C or 7°F from the indicated OAT. (From Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual)

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Engine Instruments Tachometer The centrifugal tachometer operates on the same principle as a car speedometer. One end of a flexible shaft is connected to the engine crankshaft and the other is connected to a shaft with counterweights within the instrument. The rate of turning of the crankshaft (and cable) causes expansion of the counterweight system. The instrument hand is mechanically linked to the counterweight assembly so that the engine speed is indicated in rpm. For direct-drive engines, the engine and propeller rpm are the same (Lycoming 0–320, 0–540, 0–360). Geared engines have different engine and propeller speeds, and this is noted in the Airplane Flight Manual (the propeller rpm is less than the engine rpm). The tachometer measures engine rpm, and this is the basis for your power setting. Another type of tachometer is the magnetic, which utilizes a flexible shaft that turns a magnet within a special collar in the instrument. The balance between the magnetic force and a hairspring is indicated as rpm by a hand on the instrument face. This type of tachometer does not oscillate as sometimes happens with the less expensive centrifugal type. A third type is the electric tachometer, which depends on a generator unit driven by a tachometer drive shaft. The generator is wired to an electric motor unit of the indicator, which rotates at the same rpm and transmits this through a magnetic tachometer unit that registers the speed in rpm. This type of tachometer doesn’t depend on the airplane’s electrical system either and is also smoother than the centrifugal type.

Manifold Pressure Gauge (MAP) For airplanes with constant-speed propellers, the manifold pressure gauge is used in combination with the tachometer to set up desired power from the engine. The manifold pressure gauge measures absolute pressure of the fuel-air mixture going to the cylinders and indicates this in inches of mercury. The manifold pressure gauge is an aneroid barometer like the altimeter, but instead of measuring the outside air pressure, it measures the air or fuel and air pressure in the intake manifold. When the engine is not running, the outside air pressure and the pressure in the intake manifold are the same, so that the manifold pressure gauge will indicate the outside air pressure as a barometer would. At sea level on a standard day, this would be 29.92 in. of mercury, but you can’t read the manifold gauge this closely, and it would appear as approximately 30 inches.

You start the engine with the throttle cracked or closed. This means that the throttle valve or butterfly valve is nearly shut. The engine is a strong air pump in that it takes in fuel and air and discharges residual gases and air. At closed or cracked throttle setting, the engine is pulling air (and fuel) past the nearly closed throttle valve at such a rate that a decided drop in pressure is found in the intake manifold and is duly registered by the manifold pressure gauge. As the engine starts, the indication of 30 inches drops rapidly to 10 inches or less at idle. It will never reach an actual zero, since this would mean a complete vacuum in the manifold (most manifold pressure gauges don’t even have indications of less than 10 in. of mercury). Besides, if you tried to shut off all air (and fuel) completely, the engine would quit running. As you open the throttle, you are allowing more and more fuel and air to enter the engine, and the manifold pressure increases accordingly. The unsupercharged engine will never indicate the full outside pressure on the manifold gauge in the static condition. The usual difference is 1–2 in. of mercury. The maximum indication on the manifold pressure gauge you could expect to get would be 28–29 inches. Ram effect may raise the manifold pressure because of “packing” of the air in the intake at higher speeds. Figure 2-27 shows manifold pressure gauges for a single-engine (A) and a twin-engine (B) airplane.

Oil Pressure Gauge The oil pressure gauge consists of a curved Bourdon tube with a mechanical linkage to the indicating hand, which registers the pressure in pounds per square inch (Figure 2-28). As shown, oil pressure tends to straighten the tube, and the appropriate oil pressure indication is registered. This is the direct pressure type of gauge. Another type of oil pressure gauge uses a unit containing a flexible diaphragm, which separates the engine oil from a nonflammable fluid that fills the line from the unit into the Bourdon tube. The oil pressure is transmitted through the diaphragm and to the Bourdon tube by this liquid because liquids are incompressible.

Oil Temperature Gauge The vapor type of oil temperature gauge is the most common in use. This instrument, like the oil pressure gauge, contains a Bourdon tube connected by a fine tube to a metal bulb containing a volatile liquid. Vapor expansion due to increased temperature exerts pressure, which is indicated as temperature on the instrument face. Other types of oil temperature gauges may use a thermocouple rather than a Bourdon tube.

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

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Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) Gauge

Figure 2-27. Manifold pressure gauges. (Courtesy of Sigma-Tek)

Exhaust gas temperature gauges have been designed to monitor engine performance and fuel-air ratio. The usual procedure for the operation of these instruments is to use a probe in the exhaust to measure the temperature of the exhaust gases. When the mixture is leaned from full rich, the exhaust temperature will increase, peak, and then decrease with further leaning. The idea is to get the mixture to the fuel-air ratio for continuous operation and also have an indication for the best mixture for takeoff and climb under different situations, such as taking off at a high density-altitude, climb, etc. Read the EGT Manual or the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for your airplane, since procedures may vary between engine and/or airframe manufacturers.

Fuel Gauge

Figure 2-28. The oil pressure gauge.

Cylinder Head Temperature Gauge The cylinder head temperature gauge is an important instrument for engines of higher compression and/or power. Engine cooling is a major problem in the design of a new airplane. Much flight testing and cowl modification may be required before satisfactory cooling is found for all airspeeds and power settings. The engineers are faced with the problem of keeping the engine within efficient operating limits for all air temperatures. The cylinder head temperature gauge usually warns of any possible damage to the engine long before the oil temperature gauge gives any such indication. The “hottest” cylinder, which is usually (though not always) one of the rear ones in the horizontally opposed engine, is chosen during the flight testing of the airplane. A thermocouple lead replaces one of the spark plug washers on this cylinder. The cylinder head temperature gauge uses the principle of the galvanometer. Two metals of different electrical potentials are in contact at the lead. Since the electric currents of these two metals vary with temperature, a means is established for indicating the temperature at the cylinder through electric cables to a galvanometer (cylinder head temperature gauge), which indicates temperature rather than electrical units.

The electric transmitter type of fuel gauge may be considered to have the following components: (1) the float and arm; (2) the rheostat type of control; and (3) the indicator, a voltmeter indicating fuel either in fractions or in gallons. The float and arm are attached to the rheostat, which is connected by wires to the fuel gauge. As the float level in the tank (or tanks) varies, the rheostat is rotated, changing the electrical resistance in the circuit, which changes the fuel gauge indication accordingly. This is the most popular type of fuel measuring system for airplanes with electrical systems. Fuel gauges of any type are not always accurate, and it is best not to depend on them completely (if at all). A good visual check before the flight and keeping up with the time on each tank (knowing your fuel consumption) are the best policies. Making frequent checks on the fuel gauge as a cross-reference is a good idea; the sudden dropping of the fuel-level indication may be caused by a serious fuel leak (or electrical system problems), and you’d like to know about this (particularly when IFR).

Clock The clock is a required instrument for IFR work and will be used on every flight. As simple as it seems, you should know whether it’s electrical or windup, for instance. The clock will gain great significance for you during your instrument flight training. A clock with a sweep-second hand and a digital timer are shown in Figure 2-29. (They were stuck in here to see if you’re really reading this.) Again, the clock is more important to instrument flying than first supposed. It’s a fuel gauge (time versus consumption), a navigation instrument (time versus estimated groundspeed), and a must for nonprecision approaches (and

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Figure 2-29. Two handy items for IFR work. There’s the story of a VIP (nonpilot) who, on an airline flight, was invited up to the cockpit as a gesture of good will. Seeing (to him) thousands of dials, he knew he should express interest and ask a question about one or more of the instruments. Pointing to one dial at random, he asked its function. The captain replied that that item was the clock, causing several people a great deal of embarrassment. (The VIP gambled and lost.) There can be times, you’ll find, when the clock is about the most important instrument in the cockpit.

lost communications procedures). It’s as important as any other flight instrument. On all flights be sure that the clock works and is set to the proper time before takeoff. (Have a good watch as a backup, also.)

A Look at Some Airplane Systems This section is intended to be a checklist to bring to your mind some items of interest not only for the instrument rating flight test but also in regard to your actual instrument flying later. To cover the theory and operation of each system in detail is impossible — and the Pilot’s Operating Handbook or operating instructions on the particular type or make of equipment will cover the operations procedures in detail.

Electrical System The system discussed here is the battery-generator (older airplanes) or battery-alternator combination, which is important even in VFR conditions (for instance, loss of cockpit and instrument lighting at night can be extremely serious), but when you are flying in actual

instrument conditions, electrical failure could result in a fatal accident. It’s your job to know just what equipment depends on this system and what your actions should be in case of trouble. Look at Figure 2-30. The battery stores electrical energy, and the alternator creates current and replenishes the battery as necessary, directed by the voltage regulator (or alternator control unit), which is the “automatic valve” to ensure proper current flow to the battery. A master switch is provided to close the circuit or “energize” the electrical system. For older light twins, a paralleling relay is installed so that the two generators are carrying an equal share of the load. The generators may each have a switch to take them out of the system and for checking purposes before takeoff. Light twins using alternators (the vast majority) do not require a paralleling relay. Circuit breakers or fuses are installed to ensure that the various circuits are not overloaded, with a resulting overheating and possible electrical fire. The circuit breakers “pop” out when an overload occurs and break the connection between the battery-alternator/generator system and the item causing the problem. These may be pushed back in the panel to reestablish current flow. It’s best to allow a couple of minutes for cooling before doing this, but don’t reset a circuit breaker inflight unless you must have that system to land safely. If it trips yet again, leave it alone. To hold a circuit breaker in is to ask for strange smells, a smoky cabin, and increased adrenalin flow in the occupants of the airplane. It would be well for you to know what equipment is protected by circuit breakers and where all of them are located. (Generally, they’ll be in one area on the instrument panel or side panel, but there may be one or two scattered at random spots in the cabin.) Some pilots memorize the exact location of each circuit breaker for quick reference, but the main thing to know is that such and such an item has a circuit breaker and check (by looking at the circuit breaker panel) for a popped breaker if this equipment should suddenly fall down on the job. Some circuit breakers can be pulled out to shut off a circuit if an overload is suspected or the pilot wants that item out of operation for some reason. Very few VFR pilots stop to consider that they could overload some systems by turning everything electrical on at the same time. Talk to some of the local electronic and electrical system pros to get some pointers on your particular equipment. It’s better to know the system now and to know where a circuit breaker is located than to have to learn the hard facts when smoke starts easing out from under the instrument panel — and you’re in solid IMC.

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

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Figure 2-30. A 28-volt electrical system. The system is powered by a belt-driven, 60-amp alternator and a 24-volt battery.

Figure 2-31. Two types of ammeters (or loadmeter). (A) and (D) are normal indications. The others are explained in the text.

Figure 2-31 shows the two major types of ammeters in use by general aviation aircraft with normal and abnormal indications. The ammeter on the left is the type found in some Cessnas and other airplanes. The normal indication is (A) and you should check for this throughout any flight, but it’s infinitely more important during IFR operations. When the engine is operating and the master switch is ON, the ammeter indicates the charging rate applied to the battery. Point (B) indicates that the alternator is not functioning or that the electrical load is exceeding the output of the alternator and the ammeter is indicating the

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

battery discharge rate. This will be attended by a lowvoltage light indication. Point (C) shows that overcharging is occurring. This is acceptable during the initial part of the flight (particularly after starting or a long session of low engine speeds such as extended taxiing), but after 30 minutes of flight, the ammeter should be indicating less than two needle widths of charging current. If the charging rate continued at this value on a long flight, the battery would overheat and evaporate the electrolyte at an excessive rate. The right half of Figure 2-31 shows a type of ammeter found in some Pipers and other aircraft. Point (D) would be an expected normal value for most electrical loads. (Find out what you can expect of different loads for your instrument flying requirements.) This ammeter shows in amperes the load placed on the alternator. (It doesn’t indicate battery discharge.) With all electrical equipment off (except the master switch) the ammeter will be indicating the amount of charging current demanded by the battery. As each item of electrical equipment is turned on, the current will increase to a total indicated on the ammeter. (This total includes the battery.) For one particular airplane, the average continuous load for night flight, with radios on, is about 30 amps. This value, plus approximately 2 amps for a fully charged battery, will appear continuously under these conditions. The indication at (E) shows a zero reading, indicating that the alternator has failed. You would check that the reading is really zero and not merely low by actuating electrical equipment such as a landing light. If there is no increase in the ammeter reading, you can assume that the alternator has failed. (Don’t leave the landing light or other equipment on long, or the battery will be drained. See Figure 2-32 for some ampere requirements for various equipment.) An indication like (F) shows that there is an electrical overload existing. For one airplane, an ammeter reading of more than 20 amps above the known electrical load indicates an overload, and the procedures in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for such a condition should be followed. Figure 2-32 is an electrical load analysis chart for a current four-place instrument trainer. The chart is included here to give some indication of the requirements of various electrical items.

Deicing and Anti-Icing Equipment You should be familiar with the operation of the deicing and anti-icing equipment of any airplane you plan to use for actual instrument flight.

Electrical Load Analysis Chart Standard Equipment (Running Load)

Amps Required

Battery Contactor ................................................... 0.5 Fuel Indicators ........................................................ 0.1 Flashing Beacon Light ............................................ 6.0 Instrument Lights .................................................... 0.7 Position Lights ........................................................ 2.5 Turn Coordinator .................................................... 0.3 Optional Equipment (Running Load) Altitude Blind Encoder ............................................ 0.1 Strobe Lights .......................................................... 3.0 ADF ........................................................................ 1.0 Nav/Com ................................................................ 1.0* 2.25** Transponder ........................................................... 2.0 Glide Slope ............................................................. 0.5 Marker Beacon ....................................................... 0.1 Autopilot ................................................................. 2.5 Encoding Altimeter ................................................. 0.1 Nav/Com (720 Channel)......................................... 2.9 DME ....................................................................... 1.2 Pitot Heat................................................................ 2.9 Post Lights.............................................................. 0.6 RNAV...................................................................... 0.65 Interphone System ................................................. † Avionics Fan ........................................................... 1.0 Items Not Considered as Part of Running Load Cigarette Lighter..................................................... 7.0 Clock ...................................................................... † Control Wheel Map Light ........................................ 0.1 Courtesy and Dome Lights ..................................... 1.2 Flap Motor .............................................................. 8.5 Landing and Taxi Lights.......................................... 9.0 ea. LED Landing and Taxi Lights.................................. 3.0 ea. Map Light (Door Post) ............................................ 0.2 Air Conditioner (High Blower) ................................. 6.7 Ventilation System Blower (High Speed)................ 5.0 † Negligible * 1.0 Receiving ** 2.25 Transmitting

Figure 2-32. Electrical load analysis chart. The values given were picked for typical equipment in a four-place airplane. The equivalent items for your airplane may have slightly different electrical power requirements, but the main idea is to compare the various demands of the different components. (For instance, compare the landing/taxi lights with the turn coordinator or ADF.)

Electric Prop and Windshield Deicers Some airplanes are equipped with electric prop deicers and small, electrically heated windshield panels in front of the pilot. You should have an idea of the electrical demand of these systems. The Airplane Flight Manual or Pilot’s Operating Handbook will have a Supplement attached to it explaining the operations and limitations of the equipment and will probably include such items as:

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

Description and operating principles — How the system operates and the order of the cycle of heat. Prop deicer systems are cycled, but the order of heating may differ. On some aircraft the deicers on the blade of the propeller are heated simultaneously throughout the length of each deicer. On other systems the outboard section of the deicer on each blade of a propeller is heated in the same sequence, followed by heating of the inboard portion of the deicer on each blade. Operating procedures — Normal procedures, such as how to turn the system on, what to watch for on the deicing system ammeter, and expected current requirements (for one light twin, operation of both prop deicers requires 22–26 amps, as noted in its Supplement). Some aircraft may have a timer/current monitor unit that eliminates the system ammeter. Emergency procedures can include the steps to follow in the event of abnormal deicer ammeter indications and precautions such as turning off noncritical equipment in the event of excessive power requirements that might occur after the loss of one generator (or engine). Pneumatic Deicing Systems Many light twins use pneumatic “boots” for wing and tail leading edges (larger airplanes sometimes pipe hot air inside the leading edge of the wing). There is a great deal of discussion going on about the deicing of singleengine airplanes but not too much has been done, so the light twin is the airplane being discussed here. This equipment will also have a Supplement to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook, which will list such things as: Preflight check — Physical examination of the boots and the check for normal operation. There may be such notes as, “Limit the preflight check to two cycles to reduce wear and premature failure of the vacuum pumps.” Normal operations — Included here will be such things as suggestions for operation in the various icing conditions and limits of operation. Placards — A list of the placards or control panel markings for the equipment. Your airplane may have a placard such as “Deicers to be off during takeoff or landing.” Others have no such limitation but note in the Supplement that an increase in stall speed may be expected when the deicers are in operation. This item will be discussed further in Chapter 7. Emergency operations — The procedures to take if the timer (which controls the timing of the cycles or inflating of the various portions of the tubes) should fail. There probably will be tips for operation.

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Fluid Anti-Icing Systems Some airplanes use a fluid-based system for anti-ice protection of the airframe, propeller and/or windshield. These systems use a special fluid combining glycol, alcohol and water pumped from a reservoir to help prevent ice accumulation on the important surfaces. Selected airframe leading edges are covered with a porous surface that can weep the fluid and prevent ice build up. Fluid directed to the propeller is released inboard and moves out over the prop blade by centrifugal force. A spray-bar applies the fluid to the windshield. If your airplane has such a system, your job will be to have a good idea of the capacity (and flow rate) of the fluid. You should also know how to replenish it and what type of fluid is to be used. (Part of your preflight check for actual IFR work will be to check the fluid level.) These fluid systems are primarily an anti-ice system, and you should be alert for icing conditions and activate the system earlier rather than later. Read and know the instructions concerning the use of your particular equipment. In Chapter 7 the anti-icing and deicing systems will be covered as they pertain to actual situations.

Glass Cockpits The first instrument-only flight was made in September 1929, by Jimmy Doolittle. He flew under the hood, a tent-like cover over his open cockpit, from takeoff roll to touchdown after an instrument approach. Throughout the flight, safety pilot Ben Kelsey kept his hands visible to show that he did nothing to fly the airplane during the 15-minute flight. This was only 26 years after the Wright brothers first flight. Instrument equipment evolved over the years, going from venturi tubes to engine-driven vacuum pumps, and manually-tuned direction finders became ADF and VOR receivers. Top-of-the-line LORAN moved on to modern GPS receivers, allowing precise approaches to low minimums with no ground-based navigation aids required. Glass cockpits (flight information displayed on screens instead of round mechanical dials) are a fairly recent development in instrument flight and have vastly increased the pilot’s awareness of what the airplane is doing now and in the near future. The biggest benefit of current glass cockpits is the overall situational awareness, especially when “synthetic vision” is incorporated (this is explained below). One example of a complete glass cockpit system is the Dynon Avionics “Skyview” system. Although meant for airplanes with experimental type certificates

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and light sport aircraft, this system is representative of all the leading glass cockpit systems and is far more advanced than most of the airliners flying over your home airport. Dynon’s Skyview system uses an Air Data Attitude and Heading Reference System (ADAHRS) unit to supply information shown on the primary flight display (PFD). This information duplicates what is shown by the six instruments of the conventional cockpit: airspeed, attitude, altitude, turn rate/slip/skid, heading and vertical speed (plus a great deal more). The ADAHRS is small (about 5" × 3" × 1.2") and solid state. It uses accelerometers, rotation rate sensors, magnetometers for heading, and pressure transducers for measuring air data. These MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) sensors are used in place of mechanical accelerometers or ring laser gyros in larger aircraft. Pitot and static air pressure are piped into the unit, along with optional angle of attack (AOA) data. A second ADAHRS can be installed to automatically take over if the primary one fails. The flight information from the ADAHRS, when supplemented with GPS and a GPS database, allows a moving map display. Adding terrain and obstacle data permits synthetic vision — an accurate PFD depiction of the terrain, obstacles and runways ahead of the aircraft. Glass cockpit systems are user adjustable, in most cases. A single screen might be set up to display the PFD and map equally, or have a 40/40/20 split of PFD, map, and engine instruments (if integrated). If a second screen is installed, it can act as an MFD (multi-function display), showing combinations of map, engine instruments and other systems, while still available to display the PFD if the other screen fails. The MFD can be changed to show what’s most important for that phase of flight; at night, over the mountains, the engine instruments can be what most holds the pilot’s interest. Primary Flight Display (PFD) Figure 2-33 is an illustration of the Skyview PFD in use. The aircraft has initiated a go-around from an ILS Runway 31L at Palm Springs, California (PSP). The top bar of the display shows two autopilot functions (the numbers in parentheses refer to Figure 2-33): (1) Heading hold/altitude hold, which are inactive due to no “AP” shown between them. The UTC time and transponder code are shown here also, in (2). (3) is the slip/skid ball (need a little right rudder on the go-around). Some systems show this as a movable base on the triangular pointer on the attitude indicator— if the base slides out to the left, you need left rudder to center it. (4) is the airspeed indicator. From the top: the “--KTS” means no airspeed bug is set. Current airspeed

is 93 knots and slowing. The magenta trend line shows that you will be at 82 knots in 6 seconds (if nothing changes). TAS is 95 knots and ground speed is 90 knots. All of the normal ASI arcs are present, but only the green and white arcs are in view at this airspeed. Item (5) is a graphic display of the wind direction at your altitude with a digital speed and calculated crosswind component. (6) The word “TRAFFIC” at the top of the ASI shows that traffic may be a factor, and it tells you to search the PFD for a solid yellow ball that indicates the nearby traffic’s position (in this case, off to the right). The “2” inside the ball indicates distance from you (2 NM, SM, or km, depending on how you’ve programmed the system). The traffic is below your altitude because it’s below the horizon line, but might not be for long since it is climbing (shown by the up arrow). This display makes it much easier to find traffic visually. The system must have a traffic sensing device connected and the other traffic must have equipment that allows it to be displayed. (7) is a stall warning/angle of attack (AOA) display showing proximity to the stall. The green tape disappears into the bottom of the box as critical AOA is approached. Slow flight would leave little or no green band visible. As you approach the red, the direction of the red chevrons encourage you to push the nose over. AOA is sensed by a special pitot tube that has an additional orifice angled forward and down toward the bottom of the pitot tube. The system compares the air pressure of each orifice and calculates AOA. (8) is the altimeter display which shows that the altitude bug is set at 1,700 feet and is off scale (only half of the bug is showing — see the complete bug on the VSI). Current altitude is about 515 feet with the estimated altitude in 6 seconds of 565 feet shown as by the magenta trend line. The altimeter setting is 30.00 inches and the density altitude (DA) is 484 feet MSL. This is calculated using the outside air temperature (OAT), #18. (9) is the vertical speed indicator. The VSI bug was set at -500 fpm (as shown by the bug’s location and the digits at the top of the VSI) for the approach, but the airplane is now climbing at 550 feet per minute. The navigation status display in (10) indicates that the internal GPS is being used for navigation (GPS 0) and the aircraft is 0.7 nautical miles from the Palm Springs (KPSP) airport reference point. The NAV1 shows that the yellow pointer on the HSI is tied to navigation radio 1 and indicates bearing only. The attitude indicator in (11) has the airplane’s pitch reference (adjustable as on a gyro attitude indicator) passing through the 2 yellow sidebars and the point of

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

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Figure 2-33. The Skyview PFD (primary flight display) with synthetic vision showing runways, obstacles, and terrain. (Courtesy Dynon Avionics)

the inverted V. There are pitch marks (5°, etc.) as on round gauges. There are also curved 10° pitch lines stretching across the screen both above and below the horizon line. The horizon line has marks every 30° of the compass. Extreme pitch (±45°) will expose large red arrows pointing to the horizon. This type of display will always show the shortest way to the horizon by displaying some small amount of blue (if you are pointing down) or brown (if you have to pitched up drastically). The bank angle arc shows the bank angle on the outside (large pointer is 0°, small ones are 45°). The amber pointer aligns with the bank angle as read on the outside scale and the blue triangles are the calculated bank angle needed for a standard-rate (2 minute) turn at the current airspeed. As bank is increased, more of the roll scale appears, with 360° available. Item (12) is the flight path marker (FPM), a twodimensional track. It currently shows the aircraft traveling upward at about 3° and drifting to the right, due to the 3-knot crosswind component shown in (5). A stalled airplane could have the nose above the horizon (attitude indicator), but be traveling downward (flight path marker). Some systems call this the flight path vector

(FPV). With synthetic vision, putting the flight path marker on the runway threshold as you approach (and keeping it there) will take you right to the runway. (13) is the extended zero-pitch line with magnetic heading markers every 30°. Relative altitude of other traffic is indicated by being above or below this line (on the line is at your altitude). The heading indicator/HSI in (14) is similar to the older versions with the very useful addition of a GPS track indicator, the small magenta triangle just below the 311° magnetic heading. This shows your current track. If you are on course and this indicator eases off the proper course number (say 128° outbound from the NDB, on the approach to Boondox International), you will soon be OFF course. The lower display shows the heading bug setting (“138HDG”) along with the course that has been set for the magenta CDI needle (“CRS314”). The amber needle shows the bearing to the station set on navigation radio 1 (NAV 1). Lateral and vertical (GS) deviation scales are also shown (on course, but 1 dot high). (15) Rate of turn would be shown in the black arc at the top of the HSI, just below the 311° indicated heading. A magenta band will appear in the direction of turn

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as the aircraft turns, with the band length being proportional to the turn rate. To do a standard-rate turn to the right, bank to the right until the magenta band stretches out to the taller of the two white hash marks (the smaller one is ½ -standard-rate). This is also a 6-second trend line: the standard-rate turn mark is 18° from the lubberline (3°/second, standard-rate × 6 seconds = 18°). The large white triangle on the attitude indicator bank scale would now point at the appropriate blue triangle. (16) Obstacles are shown as towers. They will only be displayed if within 1,000 feet of your altitude. From 1,000 feet below to 100 feet below the aircraft altitude they appear yellow. If they reach within 100 feet below your altitude or taller, they will be shown as red. Make sure your database is updated. (17) Terrain on the PFD is shown in the same elevation-range colors as used on the sectional chart. (18) is the outside air temperature (OAT), used for density altitude calculations, the pilot’s performance calculations and icing awareness. (Temperature can be displayed as Celsius.) The bottom row of controls consist of “joysticks” at each end to change settings and to control the functions of the keys between them.

This PFD shows the airplane climbing straight ahead on the missed approach, airspeed decaying, but it appears that a pitch (down) correction is being made since the flight path marker is showing above the pitch of the attitude indicator (not usual for steady-state flight). There is a slight right drift due to the wind from left front, so the ground speed is less than TAS. A little more right rudder is needed, and the pilot needs to keep the traffic off to the right in mind — but also not forget the mountains, especially from 12 o’clock and left. Most of those towers ahead are red, meaning they top out at least 415 feet MSL and possibly much taller. The reader must bear in mind that this is not the view out the window, it’s synthetic vision — the airplane may be IMC at this point. Moving Map Display The map display in Figure 2-34 is an overhead view of the airplane and its surroundings. With GPS and terrain/obstacle databases, it displays the (non-weather) hazards to flight much like the PFD. The map display is oriented magnetic “track up” with the thin white line (1) showing the airplane’s current track across the map and magenta box displaying it

Figure 2-34. Dynon Avionics' map display shows the airplane's situation from an overhead perspective. (Courtesy Dynon Avionics)

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

digitally (1). The airplane symbol (2) shows the current location and is pointed to the aircraft’s magnetic heading (i.e., a fierce crosswind would show the airplane crabbed off course, but tracking up). The magenta line is the active leg of the current flight plan (with subsequent legs being white). With no crosswind, there is not much difference between track, heading and course in Figure 2-34. The range of the display can be selected from a scale of 0.3 nautical miles to 1,200 nautical miles (or in units of statute miles or kilometers). The range scale selected is shown by the number (4) which describes the distance from the airplane symbol to the inner ring circle (4). The outer ring (5) has compass markings (magnetic) and is twice the range of (4). The cyan (light blue) heading bug (6) has been moved out of the way in this example. Traffic is displayed on the map somewhat similarly to the PFD. No traffic is present, but the system is operating normally (7, lower right). Since there is no horizon line, traffic will be displayed with a +/- altitude (see Figure 2-35) and an arrowhead indicating its climb or descent (no arrowhead means level). The map displays

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a long arrow indicating the traffic’s ground track (Figure 2-35). The bearing-to-waypoint (BTW) is shown lower right (8) and the distance-to-waypoint (DTW) is shown lower left (9). Unlike the PFD, this map has no pitot/ static information. The GPS ground speed (10) is in the upper left and the GPS altitude (11) is in the upper right. Terrain (12) and obstacles are shown with the same colors and symbology as a sectional chart. The alert colors of yellow (-1,000 feet to -100 feet of airplane altitude) and red (-100 feet to above the aircraft) are used for terrain and obstacle awareness. Towers are shown in the upper right of Figure 2-35. Airports (13) are shown with runway orientation, if that information is available. S43 is Harvey Field and 96WA is Jim and Julie’s airport (private as indicated by the “R”). Airspace (14) is shown with floors and ceilings (if applicable), color-coded by type (solid blue line is class B; red is restricted/prohibited, etc.). TFRs are not displayed on this unit. They can be implemented quickly, so check for new ones before each flight. Navigation aids (15) are depicted as on the sectional charts. The pointer (16) always points to true North.

Figure 2-35. A Skyview screen used as a multi-function display (MFD)—engine instruments (left), map display (right). (Courtesy Dynon Avionics)

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A map display like Skyview can give a very clear picture of where the airplane is and where it is going: Assuming an altitude of 2,500 feet MSL (versus the 2,726 feet GPS altitude shown), we can get a good idea of what the airplane is doing in Figure 2-34 — southbound through the KPAE Class D airspace and underflying the KSEA Class B airspace. On the current track, we’ll pass to the west of KSEA under the 3,000-ft floor. The altimeter is squawking 1200 and reporting altitude (as required within 30 NM of KSEA). There is little or no crosswind, as shown by the airplane symbol alignment with the track. ETA to the next waypoint is 20:42 UTC (59.4 DTW divided by 76 knots ground speed equals 47 + the 19:55 current time equals 20:42). There are MOAs and restricted areas 12 miles to our right (yellow/red outlines, using the range circle for reference). There is high terrain both left and right up ahead. If airliners, especially “heavies,” are landing south at KSEA, wake turbulence may be a factor as we pass under the final approach to KSEA. There are some airports around for emergency purposes, but note that some are seaplane bases. The large amount of water needs to be taken into consideration if the engine acts up — do you want to cross miles of open water to WA61 with a rough running engine when a return along your course will keep you over dry land? The NRST button will give the nearest airports, but the closest may not be the best due to terrain, crossing water or weather. Modern glass cockpits provide an incredible amount of information and situational awareness. A good pilot will be able to use what’s important for the current situation, but not become overloaded or spend too much time “heads-down” in the air (or on the ground). Most importantly, the pilot should never forget the duty that ranks above all else — fly the airplane.

Summary To cover all the different makes and models of airplane equipment and systems is impossible. It is recommended that you research your airplane and its equipment on the internet or contact the aircraft or equipment manufacturer for more detail on your airplane’s systems. You should know the operation of the particular type of electrical system, radio, deicing, and other so-called auxiliary equipment in your airplane. For instance, in addition to the systems just covered, you probably will have to be able to operate an autopilot or oxygen system as you progress in your instrument flying. To repeat, the time to learn the systems is while you are on the ground and before something happens in flight. Read the Supplements to the Airplane Flight Manual or Pilot’s Operating Handbook and other material available from the manufacturer.

Airplane Papers This might seem a strange place to cover the airplane papers — in a chapter on instruments and systems — but the Airplane Flight Manual is closely tied in with flight limitations, instrument markings, and placards and should be covered with the rest of that type of information. There are three documents that must be in the airplane at all times: 1. The Airplane Flight Manual (or equivalent information). 2. The Airworthiness Certificate. 3. The Certificate of Registration.

Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) Starting with 1976 models, manufacturers are publishing a POH for their airplanes, which could be considered a combination Owner’s Handbook and Airplane Flight Manual. Some manufacturers print POHs for their older models as well. The idea is to “put it all together” arranging day-today, normal operating procedures so that the material required in an Airplane Flight Manual makes for easier pilot use. Also, the POHs for all airplanes (12,500-lb maximum certificated weight is the top limit for now) are arranged in the same order for quick reference as needed, for instance: Section 1 — General information (weights, fuel and oil capacity, dimensions, etc.). Section 2 — Limitations (airspeed, powerplant, weight and center of gravity limits, maneuvering and flight load and other limits, and a listing of placards). Section 3 — Emergency procedures, with amplified procedures at the end of the section (engine failures, fire, icing, electrical problems, and landing with a flat main tire). Section 4 — Normal procedures (checklists for preflight, start, taxiing, and all other aspects of normal flight plus expanded procedures at the end of the section). Section 5 — Performance (takeoff, landing, and cruise plus stall speeds and other information). Section 6 — Weight and balance and equipment list. Section 7 — Airplane and systems descriptions. Section 8 — Handling, service, and maintenance. Section 9 — Supplements (optional systems description and operating procedures, such as for oxygen, radio, anti-icing or deicing, and autopilot systems).

Chapter 2 / Flight and Engine Instruments

Some of the models do not require that the POH be carried in the airplane at all times, but furnish separate information as required in an Airplane Flight Manual (this information must be in the airplane at all times). Other models require that the POH be carried in the airplane because it contains the information required for an Airplane Flight Manual by the regulations under which the airplane was certificated.

Airworthiness Certificate This document must be displayed so that it can be seen readily by the pilot and/or passengers. The airworthiness certificate will be valid indefinitely as long as the airplane is maintained in accordance with regulations. This means that each aircraft must have had an annual inspection within the preceding 12 calendar months. If an aircraft is to be operated for hire, it must also have had an inspection within the last 100 hour of flight time — the inspection being in accordance with 14 CFR (and either done by or supervised by a certificated mechanic). One of the 100-hour inspections may be used as an annual inspection by following certain procedures and noting the fact in the aircraft and engine logs. Some airplanes may use the progressive inspection in which the airplane is continuously inspected after the owner shows that he or she can provide proper personnel, procedures, and facilities for it. The purpose is to permit greater utilization of the aircraft. This type of inspection eliminates the need for annual and 100-hour inspections during the period this procedure is followed.

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Certificate of Registration This document, renewed every 3 years, must be in the airplane and has such information as the owner’s name and address, manufacturer, model, registration number, and manufacturer’s serial number. When the airplane changes hands or the registration number is changed, a new certificate of registration must be obtained.

Aircraft Radio Station License This is not required by the Federal Communications Commission for any transmitting equipment on board for domestic flights. However, it is required for all U.S.registered aircraft on international flights.

Logbooks There must be a logbook for the airframe and each engine. Entries are made for maintenance, alterations, repair, and required inspections. The logbooks are required to be available for inspection by authorized persons, but are not usually kept in the airplane. Make sure the logs for your airplane are kept up-to-date.

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3

Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control The airplane has four forces acting on it in flight: weight, thrust, lift, and drag (Figure 3-1). As a neophyte instrument pilot, your job will be to see that these forces are balanced (or not balanced) to obtain the required performance. This will be done by your reference to the various instrument indications.

Weight The person who develops a device that can turn off the force of gravity as desired will soon be a multibillionaire and also put a lot of aerodynamicists out of work. The problem of keeping airplane weight down has probably caused more grief in the aircraft industry than any other single factor. Suffice it to say that weight exists and is considered always to act downward toward the center of the earth — which means that, while the other three forces (lift, thrust, and drag) may operate in various directions as the plane is maneuvered, the direction of the weight vector remains constant. Weight is considered to work through one point of the airplane — the center of gravity.

Figure 3-1. The four forces.

Thrust Thrust is one of the four forces that acts on an airplane in flight and may be produced by a propeller, jet, or rocket. One of the statements often made in introducing the concept of the four forces is that thrust equals drag in straight and level, unaccelerated flight, but this actually depends on the attitude (speed) of the airplane. At slow speed near the stall in level flight and in climbs, thrust is greater than drag, as can be seen by analysis. Only under conditions where the thrust line is parallel to the line of flight is thrust actually equal to drag in straight and level flight. Figure 3-2 on the next page shows the thrust vectors at high- and low-speed flight.

Torque The propeller airplane has the problem of “torque,” which is a misnomer as far as the majority of the actual forces working on the airplane are concerned, but the term will be used here to cover the several forces or moments that tend to cause the nose to yaw left at high power settings and low speeds. In instrument flying during the climb and at low speeds with power, beginners usually forget about this factor. They watch the airspeed, their white knuckles, or the bank angle and forget that such a thing as torque ever existed. They suddenly wake up to realize that the airplane has slipped about 60° off heading. Torque is the result of several factors. The fact that the propeller is a rotating airfoil means that it is subject to stalls, induced drag (to be covered later), and the other problems associated with airfoils. Slipstream effect — For the single-engine airplane the most important factor is that of the rotating slipstream. In producing thrust, the propeller takes a comparatively large mass of air and accelerates it rearward, which results in the equal and opposite reaction of the 3-1

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Figure 3-2. Thrust vectors at two flight regimes. The slow-flight attitude has been exaggerated. The “working” thrust component is that acting along the flight path. The vertical component of thrust makes the airplane “weigh” less and lowers the stall speed.

airplane moving forward. This law was discovered by Isaac Newton (1642–1727) a couple of hundred years before the first airplane flew successfully. Because of the rotation of the propeller and its drag forces, a rotating motion is imparted to the air mass as it moves rearward from the prop. The rotating airstream exerts a force on the left side of the fin and rudder, which results in a left-yawing tendency. (If the airplane had a fin and rudder of equal size and position on the bottom, the yawing forces would tend to be balanced but would tend to roll, as shown in Figure 3-3.) Of course, it’s not all that simple; the varying shape of the fuselage and interference of the wings can affect the rotational path of the slipstream. For the multiengine airplane with a single fin and rudder, the slipstream effect is not as critical a factor as found for the single-engine type. (You may have flown some of the tricycle-gear, light twins and noted that torque or left-turning tendency was not as strong on takeoff as for some single-engine planes.) For twins with counterrotating propellers, the slipstream effect (and P factor) is totally balanced out. The manufacturer may correct for this slipstream effect on the single-engine plane by one of two ways so that at cruise (the regime in which the airplane operates the majority of its flight time) the airplane does not tend to yaw to the left. One method is to offset the fin so that at cruise it has a zero angle of attack in reference to the combination of slipstream and free-stream velocity; therefore, no yawing tendency will be present. Some manufacturers “cant” the engine or offset the thrust line a few degrees, which results in the same effect of no yawing tendency at cruise. The airplanes you’ll be using for instrument training will most likely have rudder trim, and it will assume added importance with speed changes while flying on the gauges.

Precession — Back in the discussion of the gyro instruments, precession was mentioned as the factor in operation of the turn and slip and turn coordinator instruments. Precession will affect the airplane only during a change of attitude and is not a factor in steadystate flight. Part of your training may include an ITO (instrument takeoff), and precession could give you a little trouble in the tailwheel airplane if you try to raise the tail too quickly. The propeller arc acts like a gyro wheel and resists any tendency to change its plane of rotation. As seen from the cockpit, the propeller is rotating clockwise. When the tail is raised, it is as if a force was exerted on the top of the propeller arc from behind. Because precession acts at a point 90° around the wheel (or propeller), the airplane acts as if a strong force was acting from behind on the right side of the prop arc (check Figure 2-15 again). The result is a pronounced left-turning tendency; the more abruptly the tail is raised, the worse the effect. Precession in this case is additive to the other left-turning factors of torque, and control could be marginal for a few seconds. Because of its attitude, the tricycle-gear airplane doesn’t normally have precession problems on takeoff.

Figure 3-3. Effects of a vertical fin on the bottom of the tail cone.

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

Asymmetric disk loading or P factor — This is a situation usually encountered in the climb or during slow flight and results from the fact that the relative wind is not striking the propeller disk at exactly a 90° angle. This results in a difference in angle of attack between the two (or three) blades. The down-moving blade, which is on the right side as seen from the cockpit, has a higher angle of attack than “normal” and consequently higher thrust; whereas the opposite is the case for the up-moving (left side) blade. The result is a left-turning moment (Figure 3-4). This effect can also be encountered in yaws (a left yaw would give a nose-down tendency, a right yaw, the opposite). P factor also is credited for the fact that the left engine of light twins is the worst engine to lose (or it is the critical engine). Perhaps it should be said, rather, that the left engine is the critical one for twins

Figure 3-4. Asymmetric disk loading (P factor) effects.

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with both propellers turning clockwise (as seen from the cockpit), as Figure 3-5 shows. Many engineers and pilots think the role of P factor is overrated in establishing the critical engine and believe that slipstream effects are a major factor here also. You may encounter the effects of asymmetric thrust when the airplane is sitting 90° to a relatively strong crosswind on the ground at a certain rpm. A roughness will be noted. (If you have a rough-running engine on the ground, you might check for the conditions just cited and turn the airplane.) Equal and opposite reaction — This is the effect that comes closest to the term “torque” and is a factor in Newton’s law, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” However, the strength of this effect is overrated for airplanes of higher power loadings (or lower horsepower per pound of airplane weight). The airplane tends to rotate opposite to the propeller. This can be corrected by “wash-in” (higher angle of incidence) and higher drag on the left wing. For light, fabric-covered airplanes, this is normally a part of the rigging procedures before the airplane leaves the manufacturer. (Airplanes have bendable tabs on the aileron(s) or aileron trim tabs to do the job.) This rigging also can contribute slightly to a left-turning tendency. These factors make up what pilots call torque. As an instrument trainee, you’ll be surprised how smoothly it can sneak into the picture when everything else is going so well.

Figure 3-5. The critical engine. Slipstream effect, as well as P factor, has an effect in establishing the critical engine.

Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Lift Lift is made up of the following factors and has the equation: Lift = CL  ρ  V2 S or L = CL ×  ρ  × V2 × S 2 2

CL = coefficient of lift, a dimensionless factor (not measured as pounds, feet, etc.) that increases in direct proportion to the angle of attack (which you will remember is the angle between the chord line of the airfoil and the relative wind) until the stall angle is reached. Check Figure 3-6. Since lift is a combination of CL and airspeed (plus the other factor of S, or wing area in square feet), the airplane with the airfoil and flap combination that has the greatest possible coefficient of lift (or CLmax) will be able to fly (or land) at a slower airspeed than another airplane of equal weight and wing area. Figure 3-6 shows the effect of flaps on coefficient of lift for a particular airfoil-flap combination. An expression often used concerning flaps is that they are designed to increase lift. The purpose and normal use of flaps is to maintain the required lift at a lower airspeed, or put more technically, it allows a greater CLmax, which means that the airplane can fly at a lower minimum speed. On the approach and landing, for instance, the forces acting perpendicular to the flight path are balanced as in the climb. With the flaps down on approach and landing, the “up” and “down” forces remain in equilibrium, which means a steeper approach path and slower landing speed. Only if positive g’s are being exerted would lift be expected to be greater than weight.  ρ  2 V = the equation for dynamic pressure 2 which is called q (as in “cue”) by the engineers and is discussed in Chapter 2 in the section on the airspeed indicator. Dynamic pressure is measured by the airspeed indicator, but instead of being expressed in pounds per square foot, it is indicated as miles per hour or knots. The symbol ρ is the air density in slugs per cubic foot. The slug is a unit of mass and is found by dividing the weight of an object (in pounds) by the acceleration of gravity, 32.2 fps/sec. At sea level the standard air density is 0.002378 slugs/ft3. The V2 in the equation, you remember, is the true velocity of the air particles (squared), so that the dynamic pressure is a combination of one-half the air density times the true air velocity in feet per second (squared).

Lift is the least understood of the four forces acting on the airplane. Contrary to popular belief, the pilot in normal unaccelerated flight (not pulling any g’s) has little control over lift because, when the power and airspeed are set to obtain the required performance, lift automatically assumes the correct value. The biggest fallacy is the belief that lift is greater than weight in a steady-state (normal) climb, and “excess lift is what makes the airplane go up.” This is not the case at all. On the contrary, if we assume that lift is equal to weight in straight and level, unaccelerated flight, then lift must be less than weight in the climb. Figure 3-7 shows the forces acting on an airplane in a steady-state climb; that is, the airplane is moving along a constant climb path at a constant speed. This means that the airplane and pilot are subjected to the normal 1 g. For such a condition to exist, the forces as measured perpendicular, or 90°, to the flight path must 2.5 STALL-Flaps 2.0 COEFFICIENT OF LIFT— C L

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STALL-Clean

1.5

1.0

0.5

0 -5

0

5

10

15

20

ANGLE OF ATTACK—DEGREES

Figure 3-6. Coefficient of lift versus angle of attack.

Figure 3-7. A simplified look at the lift and weight forces acting on the airplane in a steady-state climb (attitude exaggerated).

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

be in equilibrium. Since true weight, or gravity, always acts “downward” or toward the center of the earth, its direction never changes with changes in the airplane’s attitude. Lift always acts perpendicular, or 90°, to the relative wind or flight path, and Figure 3-7 shows what must be happening to maintain the steady-state climb. The angle of attack required to provide the flight path shown is omitted here to avoid complication. As you can see, the lift force must equal the component of weight acting at 90° to the flight path and therefore must be less than total weight. The weight can be broken down into two vectors, one acting perpendicular and the other parallel and backward along the flight path. The thrust required to maintain the steadystate condition is equal to the “rearward” component of weight plus the aerodynamic drag developed at the climb speed. While thrust is not of prime importance in this discussion, it should be noted that for equilibrium to exist, the forces acting parallel to the flight path (which is the reference axis) must be in equilibrium as well as those acting perpendicular to it (lift and weight component). If you are interested in the mathematics of the problem: Lift = weight × cos γ of the climb angle, or L = W cos γ. Assuming (again) that lift equals weight in straight and level flight, an airplane weighing 3,000 pounds would require 2,898 pounds of lift to maintain a steady-state climb at a 15° angle to the horizon. (The cosine of 15° is 0.966.) Lift is 102 pounds less than weight in such a condition. If lift isn’t what makes the airplane climb, what does? Power does, and this is one of the things that must be remembered in instrument flying — power plus attitude equals performance. In wings-level flight it can also be said that power plus airspeed equals performance, but the first statement covers all possibilities better. Suppose you are flying straight and level at cruise and decide to climb. At the point you ease the nose up, the angle of attack is increased without an instantaneous decrease in airspeed, and temporarily, lift is greater than weight; but only a very sensitive accelerometer, or g meter, would show that more than the normal 1 g is being pulled. If you made a very abrupt transition to the climb attitude, this would be quite evident. Your normal transition to the climb is slow enough so that the very small amount of added g is not noticeable. As you increase the angle of attack and obtain this “excess” lift, drag increases also and the airplane starts slowing immediately, which has the effect of “decreasing” lift again. As you are maintaining a steady climb speed and attitude, lift must settle down to the proper value to balance the component of weight as shown in Figure 3-7. You are then back in 1-g flight.

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A measure of g forces is the ratio of lift to weight. If the forces acting in the direction of lift are greater than weight, then positive g’s are being pulled; if the forces acting in the direction of lift are less than weight and other forces acting “downward,” negative g’s result. The reason the phrase “forces acting in the direction of lift” was used is that other factors may be introduced (such as down forces on the tail, etc.).

Drag The total drag of an airplane is made up of a combination of two main types of drag — parasite and induced. Drag acts in an opposite direction to the direction of flight (Figure 3-8).

Parasite Drag Parasite drag is not caused by just one factor but three: Form drag — This is a result of the fact that a form (the airplane) is being moved through a fluid (air). A blunt object will naturally have more form drag than a streamlined one. Examples of added form drag are extended landing gear, antennas, etc. These objects will also have interference drag at their junctions with the airplane and skin friction drag. Skin friction drag — This is a result of the air moving over the aircraft skin and is one argument for a waxed and clean airplane. Interference drag — This is caused by aerodynamic interference and burbling between components and is found, for instance, at the junction of the wing and fuselage, stabilizer and fuselage, etc.

Figure 3-8. Drag versus velocity curve.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Figure 3-9. Wing-tip vortices effects are most critical at low altitudes.

Parasite drag increases with the square of the airspeed; double the airspeed, and parasite drag increases four times. Triple the airspeed, and parasite drag increases nine times. Naturally, parasite drag is greater for the gear-down configuration, and a lot of antennas sticking out can cost a few knots at cruise. (You have a choice between no radios or a few less knots, which isn’t a choice at all for instrument flying.)

Induced Drag Induced drag is caused by the fact that the wing is creating lift. In creating lift, the relative air is deflected downward, and wing-tip vortices are formed that result in a drag force. As you can see in Figure 3-8, induced drag increases as the airplane flies slower and is greatest just at or above the stall. It’s directly proportional to the square of the coefficient of lift, so that when flying at lower airspeeds induced drag may increase several times its original value. By decreasing the airspeed, the CL required to maintain a constant value of lift is increased, hence induced drag has increased. Slow flight with a high coefficient of lift with no flaps being used creates the worst wake turbulence, so keep this in mind when following a heavy airplane on an approach. The vortex strength also depends on the “span loading” or weight per foot of wingspan (Figure 3-9).

Power Curve Force, Work, Power, Horsepower Maybe it’s been a few years since you had physics, so a quick and dirty review of the above terms might be in order. A force is considered to be a pressure, tension, or weight. The fact that a force is being exerted doesn’t mean that work is being done. You can press against a brick wall with great force all day and, from the viewpoint of physics, haven’t done any work at all. (Tell this to those aching muscles.) Work is done when something moves. If you lift a 1,100-lb weight to a height of 10 feet, you’ve done 11,000 foot-pounds (ft-lb) of work. Or you can raise an 11-lb weight 1,000 feet and will also have done 11,000 ft-lb of work. Notice that nothing is said about time. You can do the job in 1 second or 24 hours; the work done is the same. Power is a different matter; that’s where work per unit of time comes in. If the 11,000 ft-lb of work is done in 1 second, a great deal more power is used than if a full day was taken. The most familiar measurement of power is horsepower (hp), and this is established as 550 ft-lb of work being done in 1 second, or 33,000 ft-lb of work/minute. Then, to do 11,000 ft-lb of work in 1 second requires the developing of 20 hp for that period. The type of horsepower most familiar to the pilot is that of shaft or brake horsepower (BHP) — that horsepower being developed as measured at the crankshaft by means of various devices such as a torque meter, dynamometer, or prony brake. (Wags have suggested that it should be called a “pony brake” as, after all, it’s measuring horsepower.) BHP is used to set up power on the power chart because it is considered to be constant for all speed ranges. It is comparatively easy to measure

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

as a combination of manifold pressure and rpm. Thrust horsepower (THP) is a term of more interest to aeronautical engineers. THP is the horsepower being developed by a force (thrust) moving an object through the air at some rate (velocity). THP = thrust (lb) × velocity (fps) 550 If the propeller is exerting 1,000 pounds of thrust to move an airplane through the air at a constant 275 fps, the THP being developed is 1,000 × 275 = 500 THP 550 If you prefer to think in terms of miles per hour: THP = TV ÷ 375. (This is because 550 fps = 375 mph.) To convert miles per hour to feet per second, multiply by 1.467, or 1.467 × 375 mph = 550 fps. Roughly, any value in feet per second is one and a half times its value in miles per hour. For knots use THP = TV ÷ 325. As a prop pilot you have no direct way of measuring the thrust, so power is used as a measure of what the engine is contributing to the process of flight. Figure 3-10 is a graph of THP required versus indicated (calibrated) airspeed for a particular airplane at sea level. Notice that the power-required curve has more than a passing resemblance to the drag curve. Instead of being expressed in terms of parasite drag and induced drag, Figure 3-10 is shown as parasite power required and induced power required, which are combined to make up the curve of total power required. Let’s take another look at THP, or the horsepower actually being developed by the propeller in moving the airplane through the air. The propeller is only up to 85% efficient in utilizing the brake or shaft horsepower, so that for a

Figure 3-10. Thrust horsepower required versus velocity.

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specific airspeed the following might apply in finding how much THP is being developed: 0.85 × BHP = TV (knots), or 0.85 × BHP = T × V 325 325 Assuming that thrust equals drag in unaccelerated straight and level flight, the THP equation could be written: THPrequired = TV (knots) 325 Since drag in the cruise area is roughly proportional to the square of the velocity, the horsepower required is multiplied by another V so that horsepower required is a function of V3, the cube of the velocity. Boiled down, this means that to double the speed in cruise or top speed area, approximately eight times the horsepower is required for a particular airplane. This goes for brake or thrust horsepower, but again, since you are only really interested in BHP, this would be the item of interest. Figure 3-11 shows BHP required and available versus indicated airspeed (IAS) for a fictitious airplane at sea level and gross weight. Brake horsepower and indicated (calibrated) airspeed are used here because these are the two items used by the pilot to obtain the desired performance in climbs, cruise, and descents. Notice that the airplane can fly at two speeds for most power setting percentages. For instance, at 65% power, the airplane can fly straight and level at 65 knots and also at 140 knots, as shown by A and A'. This works for all power settings down to that of minimum power required, which will run at about 35–40% normal rated power (BHP) at gross weight for most airplanes of the type you’ll be flying on instruments. It would take the

Figure 3-11. Brake horsepower versus velocity.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

least horsepower to maintain altitude at the airspeed under Point B. The airspeed at Point B in theory would be the one to use at gross weight in the instrument holding pattern. The term “in theory” was inserted because other factors may enter. Your airplane may have poor handling characteristics at fairly low speeds. The propeller low-rpm characteristics may not be of the best plus the fact that turbulence could cause additional handling problems, so that a slight increase in airspeed to slightly above that given for Point B might be better. Another factor is that the brake-specific fuel consumption, or pounds of fuel burned per BHP per hour, normally increases at both ends of the power setting range. By adding some power, you may decrease the fuel consumption per horsepower to such an extent that the efficiency of the engine is increased. Looking back to Figure 3-11. Point C shows the top speed (level flight) of the airplane at the particular altitude. Since Figure 3-11 was drawn for sea level, this would be the absolute maximum level flight speed for the airplane with an unsupercharged engine (or engines). While Figure 3-11 hints that in theory there is also a corresponding low speed for 100% power, it is highly unlikely that the stall characteristics of the normally configured airplane would allow it to fly at such a low speed that 100% power would be necessary to maintain level flight; the stall break would occur first.

Setting Power Unsupercharged Engine Along with the theory should come some practical application, and Figure 3-12 is a true airspeed (TAS) versus standard (density) altitude chart for a fourplace retractable gear airplane at maximum certificated (gross) weight. The airplane is powered by a 260-hp unsupercharged engine (Figure 3-13). Point 1 in Figure 3-12 shows that for the unsupercharged engine the maximum level-flight airspeed is found at sea level, and the level-flight speed at maximum power decreases with altitude. This is because the amount of horsepower available is dropping faster than the gain of TAS effects. It’s a different story with power settings of less than maximum; take a look at the line for 75% power. The TAS increases with altitude until at about 7,000 feet (point 2) the airspeed starts dropping again. This is because 7,000 feet is the highest altitude at which 75% power can be maintained at the recommended max cruise rpm of 2,400. Point 2 (7,000 feet) would be the full-throttle altitude (or critical altitude) for 75% power at 2,400 rpm. If, for instance, you prefer 65% power for cruise on an instrument flight (and this is certainly more

Figure 3-12. Performance chart. (From Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual)

economical and easier on the engine), then l0,000 feet (point 3) would be the full-throttle altitude and would be the altitude to fly for the most airspeed and range for that power setting. (For 75% power, 7,000 feet would be the magic altitude to pick.) This, naturally, doesn’t take into account such things as wind at that altitude or assigned altitudes on IFR, but it would still be best as far as getting the max true airspeed is concerned. You’ll find that full-throttle operation will probably produce a maximum manifold pressure of 28–29 in. of mercury in standard sea level conditions (unsupercharged engine). Since the barometric pressure drops about 1 in. of mercury per 1,000 feet, you would at some altitude run out of the manifold pressure necessary to maintain the desired percentage of power. You’ve reached the full-throttle or critical altitude for that power setting. Figure 3-13 is the power setting table for the Lycoming IO-540-D engine (260 hp) using a constantspeed prop. For a given rpm, less manifold pressure is required for a specific percentage of power as altitude increases. Note that at 65% power, using 2,300 rpm, 23.2 in. of manifold pressure is required at sea level. At 7,000 feet only 21.5 in. of manifold pressure is required

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

to maintain 65% power. There are mainly two reasons for this: 1. The air is cooler at higher altitudes, and if you used the same manifold pressure as you carried at sea level, the mixture density and the horsepower developed would be greater because a lower temperature means a greater density if the mixture pressure (manifold pressure) remains the same. 2. The exhaust gases have less back pressure (outside pressure) to fight at higher altitudes. The “explosion” in the cylinder is sealed, and some power is required to expel the waste gases. The less back pressure existing, the less power is wasted, and more can be used to “drive” the airplane. Most pilots prefer a particular rpm for cruise at either 65 or 75%, and looking at Figure 3-13, an interesting fact comes to light concerning the manifold pressure drop. For 2,300 rpm at sea level (again), 23.2 inches is needed for 65% power, and 25.8 inches is necessary to obtain 75% power. Another look shows that the required manifold pressure to maintain the chosen power at 2,300 rpm drops about ¼ in./1,000 feet. You can subtract ¼ in./1,000 feet from the sea level manifold pressure and get the power setting table figure. If you want the manifold pressure required for 65% at 5,000 feet, you would subtract (5 × ¼), or 1¼ (1.25) inches from the sea level figure of 23.2, for an answer of 21.95. (The table says 22.0.) For 5,000 feet at 75% it would be 25.8 – (5 × 0.25) or 25.8 – 1.25 = 24.55 inches (table figure is 24.4 in.). For cruise information, if you use 2,300 rpm, you could remember 23.2, 25.8, and ¼-inch drop/1,000 feet and not have to refer to the power setting table every time when using 65% or 75% power respectively. Another tip for setting power for cruise after leveloff (VFR or IFR) is to leave the power at the climb value until the expected cruise IAS is approached. This expedites the transition. In addition, if the cruise power

Figure 3-13. Power setting table. (Courtesy of Lycoming Division of AVCO)

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was set just as the plane leveled off at a comparatively low speed right out of the climb, it would mean resetting the manifold pressure as cruise speed is approached (you’ll have to throttle back slightly). Why? Because ram effect will be packing in more air at the higher speed, the manifold pressure will increase, and you’ve just given yourself another little chore. Figure 3-13 shows that corrections for variations from standard temperatures must be taken into account. This follows the same principle mentioned concerning the lower manifold pressure required to maintain the same power at higher altitudes. This is because of the fact that one of the real measures of horsepower developed is the mixture density. The temperature being higher or lower would vary the density if the manifold pressure was held the same. Since there is no simple way to measure mixture density, the manifold pressure must be varied to take care of temperature variations. In general, the equation of state (gases) puts the relationship of pressure, temperature, and density this way: Pressure constant — Temperature increase means a density decrease and vice versa. (At a constant pressure, density is inversely proportional to temperature.) Temperature constant — Pressure increase means a density increase, or density is directly proportional to pressure. Density constant — Temperature increase means a pressure increase, or pressure is directly proportional to temperature.

Airplane Stability and Weight and Balance It’s very important that the airplane be in a stable condition on any flight but even more so when flying IFR. The unstable airplane can require constant pilot attention, which means that a lapse of attention, such as chart checking or clearance copying, can spell trouble for the single-pilot aircraft without an autopilot. Even if you have an autopilot, it will work harder and in correcting may cause the flight to be rougher than it would be if the airplane was stable. Your knowledge of weight and balance procedures will become even more important. Figure 3-14 shows the three axes around which the airplane maneuvers. 14 CFR Parts 23 (old) and 25 require that an airplane certificated in the normal, utility, and transport categories must meet certain minimum requirements of stability about each axis. But before getting into the specifics of the airplane, take a look at the basic idea of stability.

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Dynamic Stability

Figure 3-14. The three axes.

Static Stability The term “static” might well express the idea of “at rest.” When you are flaked out on the couch for a nap, you could be said to be “static.” An object or system that has an initial tendency to return to its original position and resists being offset in the first place may be termed statically stable. Figure 3-15 shows three possible static stability situations involving a “system” — a perfectly smooth bowl or hubcap, a flat surface, and a steel ball. Figure 3-15A shows a positive static stability or a system that is statically stable. If you tried to displace the ball from its center position, it would resist displacement and tend to return to its original position. For example, the equivalent condition for an airplane would be for it to tend to return to its trim speed if displaced. System B is neutrally stable, or has neutral static stability; it’s a steel ball on a flat plate. If a force acts on it, it moves and stops at some new position when the force or the effects of that force are gone. The ball has no tendency to return to the original position (nor for the airplane to return to the trim speed). System C is negatively stable. If it is displaced from its balanced position, as shown, it will get farther and farther, at an increasingly faster rate, from the original position. As a pilot, you control the static stability of the airplane with your weight and balance control. Notice that only in the statically stable system does the ball have any tendency to return to its original position.

The actions a body takes in response to its static stability properties show its dynamic stability (dynamic = active). Dynamic stability is considered to be the time history of a body’s responses to its static stability condition. In System A in Figure 3-15, the ball would resist any tendency to be moved from its center position and is statically stable. When released, it would return toward the center, overshooting and returning in decreasing oscillations until it would again come to rest in its original position. In such a case it would also be dynamically stable, or it would have positive dynamic stability (because the actions of the ball returned it to the original position). If you had added an outside force by rocking the hubcap, you might cause the oscillations to continue with the same magnitude (neutral dynamic stability), or you could rock it enough so that the oscillations get more violent until the ball shoots over the side (negative dynamic stability). The experiment just accomplished will work only if the system is statically stable to begin with — the ball would hardly oscillate on the flat plate (Figure 3-15B) and certainly not if it was on the outside of the hubcap as shown in Figure 3-15C. This leads to the brilliant conclusion that in order for a system to have any oscillatory properties at all it must be statically stable or have positive static stability.

Longitudinal (Pitch) Stability The rather complicated title of this section basically means taking a look at how the airplane wants to hold its trim airspeed or its actions in returning to that airspeed. Longitudinal stability, or stability around the lateral axis (check Figure 3-14 again), is the most important of the three types of stability because the pilot can affect it more with placement of weight. Sure, burning more fuel out of one wing tank can affect lateral stability, and moving weight rearward can affect directional (yaw) stability (it’s doubtful that you could notice it, though), but longitudinal stability problems have pranged more airplanes by far than the other two combined.

Figure 3-15. (A) Positive, (B) neutral, and (C) negative static stability.

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

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Figure 3-16. System of moments in equilibrium.

As a review, an airplane in steady-state flight (such as straight and level, steady climb, or steady glide, etc.) must be in “equilibrium.” This means that the summing up of forces and moments must equal zero. You recall that a force can be considered as a pressure, tension, or weight. A “moment” usually is the result of a force or weight acting at some distance from a fulcrum, or pivot point, at a 90° angle to its “arm.” A seesaw is a good example of a system of moments, as shown in Figure 3-16. The two moments are equal, but the distances (arms) and weights are different. Moments may be expressed as pound-feet or pound-inches to keep from confusing a “moment” with “work,” which, you remember, was expressed as “foot-pounds,” using the distance factor first. You are trying to balance a 200-lb rock with a mechanical lever system, as shown in Figure 3-17. If you are holding the lever at 40 inches from the fulcrum, how much force do you have to exert to “assure equilibrium of the system” (balance the rock)? It’s assumed that the bar is rigid, and its weight will be neglected. Since the system is in equilibrium (you’re balancing the rock), the two moments are equal. The moment on the rock side of the fulcrum can be found as 200 lb × 10 in. = 2,000 lb-in. The moment on your side must also be 2,000 lb-in., so you will have to exert 50 pounds at

Figure 3-17. Simple lever system.

a 90° angle to the lever at the distance of 40 inches to balance the rock (50 lb × 40 in. = 2,000 lb-in.). (Why you’re wasting your time standing around balancing a rock is not a subject for this book.) Take a look at Figure 3-18 on the next page to see some of the forces and moments acting on a typical high-performance, four-place, general aviation airplane flying in straight and level cruising flight. In Figure 3-18, rather than establish the vertical acting forces (lift, weight, and tail force) with respect to the center of gravity (CG) as is the usual case, they will be measured fore and aft from the center of lift. Assume at this point that lift is a string holding the airplane “up” and its value will be found later. The airplane in Figure 3-18 weighs 3,000 pounds, is flying at 150 knots IAS (CAS), and at this particular loading the CG is 5 inches ahead of the “lift line.” Summing up the major moments acting on the airplane (check Figure 3-18 for each): 1. Lift-weight moment — The weight (3,000 pounds) is acting 5 inches ahead of the center of lift, and this results in a 15,000 lb-in. nose-down moment (5 in. × 3,000 lb = 15,000 lb-in.). 2. Thrust moment — Thrust is acting 15 inches above the CG and has a value of 400 pounds. The nosedown moment resulting is 15 in. × 400 lb = 6,000 lb-in. (The moment created by thrust will be measured with respect to the CG. For simplicity, it will be assumed that the drag is operating back through the CG. Although this is not usually the case, it saves working with another moment. 3. Wing moment — The wing, in producing lift, creates a nose-down moment that is the result of the forces working on the wing itself. Figure 3-19 shows force patterns acting on a wing at two airspeeds (angles of attack). These moments are acting with respect to the aerodynamic center, a point considered to be located at about 25% of the chord for all airfoils. Notice that as the speed increases (the angle of attack decreases), the moment becomes greater as

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Figure 3-18. Forces and moments acting on an airplane in straight and level cruising flight.

the force pattern varies. The nose-down moment created by the wing increases as the square of the airspeed if the airfoil is not a symmetrical type. (There is no wing moment if the airfoil is symmetrical because all the forces are acting through the aerodynamic center of the airfoil.) For an airplane of the type, airspeed, and weight used here a nose-down moment created by the wing itself of 24,000 lb-in. would be a good round figure. Remember that this would vary with IAS. Nosedown moment created by the wing = 24,000 lb-in. 4. Fuselage — This may also be expected to have a moment about its CG because it too has a flow pattern and, for this example, airplane type and airspeed would be about 6,000 lb-in. nose-down. (This is not always the case.) Summing up the nose-down moments: Lift-weight moment Thrust moment Wing moment (at 150 knots) Fuselage moment (at 150 knots) Total nose-down moment

= 15,000 = 6,000 = 24,000 = 6,000 = 51,000 lb-in.

For equilibrium to exist, there must be a tail-down moment of 51,000 lb-in., and this is furnished by the tail-down force. Figure 3-18 shows that the “arm,” or the distance from the lift line to the center of the tail-down force, is 170 inches. So the moment (51,000 lb-in.) and the arm (170 in.) are known, and the force acting at the end of that arm (the tail-down force) can be found as 51,000 lb-in. ÷ 170 in. = 300 lb. The airplane nose does not tend to pitch either way.

Since the forces acting perpendicular and parallel to the flight path must also be in equilibrium, a couple of other steps could be taken to complete the problem. Figure 3-18 shows that the forces acting parallel to the flight path are equal (thrust and drag are each 400 pounds), and a summation of the vertical forces, or forces acting perpendicular to the flight path, is checked next. The “downward” acting forces are weight (3,000 lb) and the tail-down force (300 lb), for a total of 3,300 pounds. The only opposing force is lift, and for equilibrium to exist, this must be 3,300 pounds. Looking back at the idea of the wing moment, you’ll notice that it tends to keep the nose down and the airspeed up, and for the unsymmetrical airfoil, this tendency increases with the square of the airspeed. Suppose, as an example, that you moved weight back in the airplane at cruise so that the lift-weight moment is a minus factor — you’ve moved the CG so far back that lift is acting ahead of weight. Say, for example, that lift is acting 10 inches ahead of weight at the cruise airspeed of 150 knots; the lift-weight moment is now a minus factor (minus means a nose-up moment). Lift-weight moment Thrust moment Wing moment (at 150 knots) Fuselage moment (at 150 knots) Total nose-down moment

= –30,000 = 6,000 = 24,000 = 6,000 = 6,000 lb-in.

Summing the nose-up and nose-down moments, the result is a 6,000 lb-in. nose-down moment, which is to be balanced by the tail-down force. The arm is 170 inches so that the required tail-down force is

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

6,000 lb-in. ÷ 170 in. = 35 lb. You can see that the taildown force is rapidly disappearing and the airplane is becoming less statically stable. The wing moment is a function of the square of the airspeed, so if the plane is slowed up to one-half its cruise speed, the wing and fuselage moments would be one-fourth of their values at cruise. As the airplane was slowed to holding speed, you just might find yourself running out of the forward wheel (down elevator) necessary to furnish the nose-down moment. The nose could rise abruptly and a stall could occur, followed by a loss of control (on instruments!). The treatment given here is that the weight (CG) was moved aft in flight, and you were able to control it until you slowed down and lost your “helpful” wing and fuselage moments. The realistic view would be that the airplane would have problems on takeoff and probably never get to the cruise condition. Your job as a pilot is to make sure that the airplane is loaded properly so that problems don’t arise. Remember that even though the airplane is controllable at cruise and at holding speeds, in turbulence control might be marginal when your attention is directed to other things such as taking clearances, checking engine instruments, etc. Sometimes, it seems that ATC has a TV camera in the cabin and knows the exact time that you least want a clearance. (“Okay, boys, he’s in turbulence, is picking up ice, and his pencil just rolled all the way back under the back seat; let’s give him Clearance 332, that always leaves them climbing the walls.”) That’s when prior checking of weight and balance could have helped.

Figure 3-19. Moments created by an unsymmetrical airfoil at two different airspeeds. The angles of attack and pressure patterns have been exaggerated.

3-13

Weight and Balance The basic empty weight of the airplane is initially established by the manufacturer and, for a particular airplane, includes unusable fuel, full oil, hydraulic fluid, and all equipment necessary for flight (and optional equipment). In other words, the airplane is mechanically ready to fly but lacks usable fuel, occupants, and baggage. To obtain the empty weight, the airplane is weighed as shown in Figure 3-20 on the next page. The newly manufactured airplane is placed on scales as shown in Figure 3-20. The total empty weight for this airplane is the sum of the three scale figures and is 1,697 pounds. The resulting figure is called the “empty weight as weighed,” and the unusable fuel and full oil (and the weight of the paint, if necessary) are added to this to get the “basic empty weight.” The airplane in this example is painted, and all radios and optional equipment are installed. To find the empty weight CG, the “datum” is used. This is an imaginary point located at or some distance ahead of a well-defined spot on the airplane, such as the front side of the firewall, wing leading edge, etc. In this case, the datum is located 79 inches ahead of the straight leading edge of the wing. On airplanes with tapered wings the datum may be established a certain distance ahead of the junction of the wing leading edge and the fuselage. When the datum is ahead of the airplane, as is the case here, all the arms are positive; when the datum is located at the leading edge of the wing or front side of the firewall, the arm is in a positive direction when aft of the datum and negative when forward. The empty weight (or “as weighed”) CG is located by using the principle of moments and using the datum point as the fulcrum or pivot point. The weight concentrated on the nosewheel is 575 pounds, and it is 31 inches from the datum; hence, its moment would be 575 lb × 31 in. = 17,825 lb-in. The moment created by the weights on the main gear would be (560 + 562) lb × 109 in. = 1,122 lb × 109 in. = 122,298 lb-in. The two weights on the main wheels are combined, since the two wheels are the same distance from the datum (or should be if the airplane hasn’t been taxied into something). Rearranged, the problem would look like this: Weight

Total

Arm (in.)

575

×

31

1,122

×

109

1,697 lb

Moment =

17,825

= 122,298 140,123 lb-in.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Figure 3-20. Determining the empty weight and empty weight center of gravity.

Dividing the total moment by the weight, the empty CG is found to be located at: 140,123 ÷ 1,697 = 82.6 in. aft of the datum. This particular airplane is considered to have 4 gallons of unusable fuel and was weighed with no oil, so the step to get the basic empty weight is: Item Empty weight as weighed

Weight

Arm (in.) Moment

1,697

82.6

140,123

Oil (3 gal)

23

28.0

644

Unusuable fuel (4 gal)

24

90.0*

Total

1,744 lb

2,160 142,927 lb-in.

The basic empty weight for this particular airplane is 1,744 pounds, and the empty CG is found by dividing the total moment (142,927 lb-in.) by the total weight (1,744 lb). The answer is 81.9 inches, as shown by the small square in Figure 3-20. The answers were rounded off to the nearest 0.1 of an inch. What about that mysterious 90.0* that showed up in the last calculation? That’s the distance of the CG of the fuel load from the datum, that is, 90 inches. This information is given in the Weight and Balance Form for the airplane. Incidentally, fuel (gasoline) is considered to weigh 6 lb/gal; oil weighs 7.5 lb/gal. It’s best to use the actual passenger weights. You could then find out the effects of adding usable fuel, passengers, and baggage as shown below (the

maximum certificated, or gross, weight is 2,900 pounds for this airplane): Item

Weight

Arm Moment

Basic empty weight

1,744

142,927

Fuel (56 gal)

336

90.0*

30,240

Pilot

170

84.8*

14,416

Passenger (front)

170

84.8*

14,416

Passenger (rear)(l)

170

118.5*

20,145

Baggage

200

142.0*

28,400

Total

2,790 lb

250,544 lb-in.

The total moment is divided by the weight to find the CG with that loading to get an answer of 89.8 inches aft of the datum. This is shown by the small circle in Figure 3-20. Those arms marked with an asterisk are the same for each airplane of this model and are given on the Weight and Balance Form. Figure 3-21 is from the Weight and Balance section of a Pilot’s Operating Handbook showing loading arrangements for a four-place airplane. Note that the two front seats are adjustable from 34 to 46 inches aft of datum, but the “average” person’s CG is at 37 inches. Some people’s CGs are lower than others, but remember that this is an average here and only concerns fore and aft CGs.

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

3-15

be added to the total moment of the airplane, people, fuel, etc., to get the true CG position in flight. The final CG would be found by adding the moment of 1,266 lb-in. to the total moment to find the CG with the gear retracted (which is what you are really interested in). Notice that the total weight would be the same; it’s just been moved back, thus increasing the moment. The new CG is (250,544 + 1,266) = 251,810 = 90.3 in. aft of the 2,790 2,790 datum (rounded off).

Figure 3-21. Loading arrangements for a four-place airplane.

Pilot’s Operating Handbooks for 1976 models (and later) use the term “basic empty weight” rather than “licensed empty weight” the older term, in case this is a review. Again, the airplane basic empty weight includes unusable fuel and full oil, the latter not being considered as part of the empty weight on the earlier models. The POH will have a Weight and Balance Form with blanks for the specific airplane.

While it’s not a critical factor for this problem, gear retraction could nudge you over the line if the CG was right at the rearward limits to begin with. The dot in Figure 3-22 shows that the final CG is within safe limits. This is mentioned to cover a factor you might not have considered. The baggage placard is to be respected; not only could the CG be moved too far aft but also the baggage compartment floor could be overstressed. The baggage compartment floor area is designed to withstand a certain number of g’s with 200 pounds (or whatever the placard limit indicates), and if you pull that same number of g’s with, say, 400 pounds in it, what used to be the baggage compartment may be just a memory. The allowable positive and negative load factors and airplane categories are given in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook.

Weight and Balance Envelope You know that the airplane is legal from a weight standpoint; but is the CG in the proper range? Figure 3-22 is a weight and balance envelope for the four-place, high-performance airplane used in the example. The range is from 80.5 to 93 inches aft of the datum, and it can be found that the loading checked earlier is within safe limits. In the problem no fourth passenger was taken, but the full allowable 200 pounds of baggage was included. You could work out various combinations of items and check for safe operation by referring to the weight and balance envelope. The forward CG limit is set by control in ground effect rather than stalls at altitude. Notice that Figure 3-22 includes a remark that the moment due to retracting the landing gear is 1,266 lb-in. The empty weight CG was checked with the landing gear down, so that when it is retracted (the nosewheel swings back and maybe the main gear also moves back slightly with respect to the datum), the value cited must

Figure 3-22. Weight and balance envelope.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Forward CG Considerations The envelope in Figure 3-22 is not square but has cutoff areas in the upper left-hand corner. For instance, you would not be legal flying at 2,800 pounds with the CG located at 84 inches or at 2,500 pounds with a CG at 81 inches aft of the datum (as shown by the crosses). Everybody worries so much about the rear limit of the envelope that the idea of a forward limit is forgotten. For simplification, the rear limit is basically established to ensure stability, and the forward limit is to ensure proper controllability. Suppose you kept moving weight forward while in flight; it would require more and more up-elevator (or trim) to maintain “longitudinal equilibrium” (keep the nose up). You could reach a situation where full upelevator would be necessary in the cruise regime. When power was chopped, the nose would drop again and the airspeed would pick up. You’d be in trouble trying to land the airplane in this exaggerated situation. Actually, the allowed forward limit of the airplane would be even farther forward if it was not for ground effect. At altitude, the elevators may still be effective near the stall with a well-forward CG but may lose effectiveness because of ground effect as shown by Figure 3-23.

Figure 3-24 shows a simplified loading graph. The slope of the lines represents the effects of distance on the moment. Notice that a pilot and passenger weighing a total of 340 pounds in the front seat created a moment of 12,200 lb-in., as compared to about 24,000 lb-in. created by rear passengers totaling 340 pounds. (Notice that 120 pounds of baggage, because of its location, makes a moment nearly as great as the 340 pounds worth of people in the front seat.) This sample airplane is a four-place, single-engine type and has a gross weight of 2,800 pounds. It’s given that the airplane has a basic empty weight of 1,682 pounds with an empty-weight moment of 57,600 (or 57.6 × 1,000) lb-in. The datum is located on the front face of the firewall, and the oil has a negative moment because it is ahead of that point. You could make up a table. Refer to Figure 3-24 for the moments resulting for the various items. Item

(thousands)

1,682

57.6

Pilot and passenger (front)

340

12.2

Fuel — 60 gal (at 6 lb/gal)

360

17.3

Rear passengers

340

24.1

78

7.6

Basic empty weight (given)

Baggage Total

Figure 3-23. Ground effect and elevator effectiveness.

Figures 3-24 and 3-25 show an approach to the weight and balance computations for another airplane. Instead of thinking in terms of pounds and inches aft of the datum as in the case for the envelope of Figure 3-22, these use the graph form of pounds versus moment (pound-inches) as the criterion. If a certain airplane weight comes up with a moment (which is distance times pounds) that falls within the envelope, it really doesn’t matter whether you know the exact position of the CG (in inches) or not; it is in a safe range.

Moment

Weight

2,800 lb

118.8 lb-in.

(More properly, this is 118,800 lb-in.) Figure 3-25 is the CG moment envelope for this airplane. You can see by the arrow that the airplane is legal both from a weight standpoint and CG, or total moment consideration. Notice how the envelope “leans” to the right as the weight increases. At 1,800 pounds, a large moment (say, 90,000 lb-in.) would mean that the CG was quite far back from the datum (50 inches to be exact), whereas at a higher weight of 2,250 pounds a moment of 90,000 lb-in. is quite acceptable because the arm is shorter (40 inches aft of the datum) and the CG is not in a rearward critical condition. If, out of curiosity, you wanted to find the exact location of the CG of the airplane just discussed, you could divide the total moment (118,800 lb-in.) by the total weight (2,800 lb) and find that the CG is located at approximately 42.4 inches aft of the datum. Notice that if you wanted to take the time and trouble, you could convert either type of envelope (Figures 3-22, 3-25) to the other form.

Chapter 3 / Review of Airplane Performance, Stability, and Control

Figure 3-24. Loading graph for a particular airplane.

Figure 3-25. Center of gravity moment envelope for the airplane of Figure 3-24.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Summary There’s plenty more to be said about stability, weight, and balance. This chapter covered only longitudinal stability because it is the one area that the pilot can affect most easily. Directional and lateral stability are pretty much built in at the factory, and the airplane must meet certain minimum requirements in that regard. As far as longitudinal stability is concerned, the airplane will meet the requirements for safe operation as required by

the FAA only if the weight and CG are kept within the envelope. Be sure that you can work out the weight and balance for the airplane you are using. Don’t load the airplane so that it’s right on the rear limits of the envelope. It could be acceptable in smooth air, but turbulence and icing could cause the handling to become marginal or cause additional fatigue over the duration of the flight, and an approach in conditions of a 200-foot ceiling and ½-mile visibility needs all the attention and alertness you can give it.

4

Basic Instrument Flying It’s quite possible that you can fly an airplane both VFR or on instruments without knowing the theory of performance. But if you are going to the trouble of learning a new area of flying, you might as well get the background. A lot of pilots have reacted wrongly to an unusual situation in flying — and paid for it because they didn’t know what the airplane could or could not do. Even experienced pilots have gotten into a bind, for instance, by unconsciously trying to stretch a glide or descent by pulling the nose up farther instead of adding power in a situation where outside distractions have become almost intolerable. You are making an ILS approach and have picked up a lot of ice, the ceiling and visibility are right on minimums, it’s turbulent, and there’s a lot of communication between you and the tower. You might end up close to a stall by trying to stay up on the glide slope by using the elevators and not enough power.

It’s funny, but pilots pay lip service to the statement, “Power controls altitude, and the elevators control airspeed,” and can (and will) rattle it off as a schoolchild recites the Preamble to the Constitution. Unfortunately, too often neither stops to think about what the words really mean. Of course, when you are at cruise and pull back on the wheel the airplane climbs, so “obviously” the elevators make it climb. Not so; you are moving to a different (slower) airspeed using the same power setting, so excess horsepower — and energy altitude — are working to gain altitude. In practicality, at high speeds, you move the nose up to climb. But don’t do this near the stall. There are several ideas concerning instrument flying that are often presented to the pilot at the start of training for the rating. One is that somehow, as soon as the pilot is unable to fly by outside references, the airplane is subjected to a new set of “laws.”

Figure 4-1. A constant instrument scan is important for safe IFR flight.

4-1

4-2

Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

It is the job of the instruments to provide a picture so that you can “see” and control the actions of the airplane, and the theory and manner of control are exactly the same as those used with visual references. Assume for this chapter that in discussion of performance IAS = CAS.

Instrument Scan (The Big Picture) Shown in Figure 4-2 is one established arrangement of flight instruments in which the attitude indicator is the nucleus. This is a good logical arrangement and makes for a reasonably simple scan. Notice that the airspeed is in the upper left-hand corner of the instrument panel. This is a good spot for that instrument because during takeoff or on final approach you don’t have to move your scan so far in checking the runway and airspeed. Some older model airplanes had the airspeed indicator at the position of the rate of climb shown in Figure 4-2. Maybe you don’t like to use somebody else’s idea for the order of looking at the gauges, so develop and use your own. You can work this out during your basic instrument flying. The main thing is to cover all of the flight instruments (and later you’ll have to monitor the navigation instruments also) and not let your attention stick on one instrument. (This problem of fixation, or staring at one instrument, is quite common in the beginning for instrument trainees.) The guess is that you’ll have less trouble maintaining altitude than with keeping up with the heading. Why? Because you’ve been flying many hours keeping an eye on the altimeter, which is the only instrument 40

160 140

AIRSPEED KNOTS

8

60

7

120

80 100

R

5

4

VERTICAL SPEED

S 21 15

2 MIN

6

E 12

TURN COORDINATOR

1

ALTITUDE

6

L

0

3

W 30 24

N 33

9

Figure 4-2. “Basic T” arrangement for flight instruments. Note that the turn coordinator (or a turn and slip) and vertical speed indicator “fill in the gaps.”

2 3

for checking altitude, whereas quite a bit of your directional references have been outside the airplane. As for airspeed in the cruise regime, if the power is set and the altitude kept constant, the airspeed is usually ignored, but the altimeter is a prime instrument. It’s funny, but heading can sneak off more insidiously than altitude. You know that you can sense altitude change with your eyes shut. (The change in sound is most often a clue in this regard.) Also, the heading can slip off even when the wings are level as indicated by the attitude indicator, particularly in a climb where torque is a factor. In keeping with the idea that maintaining a constant altitude probably will be less of a problem than heading, the diving spiral (and altitude loss) is the final result of neglecting the heading (letting the airplane get into a wing-down attitude with heading change). Don’t think that speed of scan does the trick; this is as bad as staring at one instrument too long. You don’t try for a speed record when, say, you start playing the banjo. Sometimes in training you’ll have to slow down because you may be looking but not seeing. If you get excited or scared you may be looking from one instrument to another too fast, so slow down. The scan can be summed up by stating that the necessary instruments should be checked at the right time. Don’t try to set up and memorize the primary bank or pitch instrument for a particular maneuver, but fly the airplane by “seeing” its actions through the instruments; flying the airplane comes ahead of all other considerations (voice reports, etc.). For instance, if you’ve been flying under the hood at cruise power at a constant altitude and suddenly notice that the airspeed is low and decreasing, you don’t have to be told that the airspeed is a pitch reference. Without looking (assuming no power reduction), you could say that the altitude is increasing (if things haven’t gone too far, but the airspeed will tell you this), and the attitude indicator will show a nose-up attitude. The wing attitude is another matter; wings may be level or banked, and you could check this by the attitude indicator or turn and slip or the turn coordinator. (If the needle or small airplane is deflected and the ball is in the center, the wings are banked. A needle or small airplane deflection with a skid indication may or may not indicate a bank; it would certainly indicate some degree of nose movement.) The heading indicator will also show a change in heading, which could be the result of either a “flat” or a banked turn.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

4-3

Primary and Supporting

with the glass cockpit and synthetic vision, as discussed in Chapter 2. If you are training in an airplane with the traditional instruments, you still have to cross-check one instrument against the other; the attitude indicator, while the center of attention, only tells attitude (which actually is only what it was designed to do), not performance. Show most pilots who’ve not had instrument training a picture of an attitude indicator with the small reference airplane (wings level) above the horizon, and they’ll say flatly that the airplane is in a straight climb. Not you as instrument pilot; you’re suspicious. What does the airspeed show? Is it to the point of stall or holding steady at the proper climb speed? Is the altitude increasing, or is the airplane in slow-flight condition (nose up and low airspeed in level flight)? How much power is being used? The attitude indicator is very valuable in setting up initial positions for required climb or descent attitudes. You’ll find, after practice, that you can approximate the required airspeeds by flying the airplane so that the small reference airplane is a certain number (or fraction) of horizon bar widths above (or below) the horizon. The airspeed is to be used as a more precise measure, however. After some time practicing basic instrument flying, you’ll figure that you have the situation well in hand. Then comes the introduction to radio navigation. Your “new scan” will have to include copying clearances, changing frequencies, and monitoring the navigation, engine, and aircraft systems instruments plus the clock. The horizontal situation indicator (HSI), which combines radio navigation indications with the heading indicator, and flight control systems (with autopilots), has done a great deal to simplify pilots’ scanning chores. (See Chapter 5.) One thing you can do is spend some time on the ground, sitting in the cockpit and pinning down the instrument arrangement and position of switches, circuit breakers, and other controls so there is less fumbling in flight. Work out the probable scan for your airplane’s instrument and radio arrangement and modify it in flight as necessary. Probably the first thing your instructor will do before you fly that first flight will be to pick certain working airspeeds for your airplane, such as best speeds for approach, climb, holding, and turbulence penetration. Then the instructor will find the general power settings required for performance at these speeds, and you will use these numbers for a starting point. (When you start working on the instrument rating in earnest. you should have an instructor so that you get started out right.) After picking the working speeds, the instructor will introduce you to the pitch and bank instruments.

The system of “primary” and “supporting” instruments as has been advocated requires that you memorize the various instruments/flight conditions. In that system a particular flight instrument may be primary for pitch at the initiation of a maneuver then be replaced by another after the maneuver has started. For instance, in a constant-airspeed climb (talking about pitch instruments only): Initiating the climb — The attitude indicator is primary for pitch. The tachometer or manifold pressure gauge is primary for power. Stabilized climb at a constant airspeed — Airspeed is now primary for pitch; the attitude indicator is supporting pitch, as is the vertical speed indicator. In a stabilized climb at a constant rate, the vertical speed indicator is now the primary pitch instrument, with the airspeed indicator being primary for power and the attitude indicator supporting for pitch. (In some cases, at least for a short while, the airplane can be climbing at a constant airspeed and constant rate; which instruments do what, now?) Leveling off to cruise — The altimeter is primary for pitch; the vertical speed is supporting pitch, as is the attitude indicator. The airspeed indicator is now considered primary for power as it approaches the desired value. Looking back through the sequence of entering a climb, climbing, and then leveling off, the primary and supporting instruments vary, which complicates a simple procedure. So this book is an advocate of control (attitude indicator and manifold pressure/tachometer) and performance instruments (airspeed, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, heading indicator, and turn coordinator or turn and slip).

Back to Basics The control instruments (attitude indicator and manifold pressure/tachometer gauges) are those used to control the airplane. You set the attitude and the power and the airplane performs. How well it’s performing is indicated by the performance instruments just mentioned. What’s the rate of climb, rate of descent, or rate of turn? Are you holding a constant altitude and heading (if that’s what you want)? Your job, with traditional aircraft instrumentation (aka “steam gauges”), is to get the “big picture” through several sources — the various round gauges. The requirement for having situational awareness solely via all of these seemingly unrelated instruments is (slowly and, somewhat expensively) being replaced

4-4

Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Pitch Instruments Figure 4-3 shows the pitch instruments, and the instructor will “introduce” them to you. Most pilots who haven’t worked on the instrument rating before haven’t really looked at each instrument in detail in flight. The instructor will very likely have you fly the pitch instruments one at a time so that you can check the response of, say, the airspeed, altimeter, or vertical speed indicator to various pitch changes of the attitude indicator. He or she may discuss the instruments in the following order: Attitude indicator — You’ll probably fly this instrument noting the effects of a one-half or one bar-width or pitch reference mark pitch change. Most noninstrument trained pilots haven’t noticed the effects of very small pitch changes as referenced by the attitude indicator. (Most have used the attitude indicator for bank references and noted that in a climb it might indicate two or more bar widths up from level flight position — and that’s about the extent of it.) Bank won’t be a major factor in your introduction to the pitch use of the attitude indicator, but you should keep the wings reasonably level. As a suggestion, once the airplane is established in straight and level cruising flight, with the setting knob, line up the top of the wings of the miniature airplane with the top of the horizon line and use this as the level-flight reference. The instructor may cover the other flight instruments and have you fly a couple of minutes (or longer) using the attitude indicator for pitch and altitude information. When the altimeter is uncovered, you can see how well you handled the pitch problem. Altimeter — The instructor may have you check the altimeter’s response to various rates of pitch change; but because you are more familiar with this one, you may not spend as much time with it as the other pitch instruments.

40

160 140

AIRSPEED KNOTS

60

8 7

120

80 100

9

0

1

ALTITUDE

6

5

4

VERTICAL SPEED

Figure 4-3. Pitch instruments.

2 3

Because the altimeter is simple, it is a basic pitch instrument. When you stop to think about it, the altimeter and heading indicator are the major flight instruments for IFR; you need to know the altitude (so that you won’t fly into the terrain or hit other airplanes) and the heading (for flying the proper course). You can estimate rates of climb or descent or the rate of turn by these two instruments alone (but the nav and power instruments are needed too). With practice you can come pretty close to setting up a prechosen rate of climb or descent by checking the altimeter’s change rate. (See Figure 4-8.) Airspeed indicator — You’ll find that the airspeed indicator has more to offer as a pitch indicator than you’d thought. Sure, you’ve been using the airspeed for climbs and descents, but you may have been thinking in terms of keeping the indications within 5 knots of what you wanted. Now you’ll start thinking in terms of one-knot variations as you see how the airspeed not only acts as a pitch reference for straight and level but can also help keep the proper pitch for maintaining a constant altitude in a standard rate turn. Vertical speed indicator — You’ll probably be really looking at this instrument for the first time and will get a chance to fly various rates of descent and climb as well as “flying it” in straight and level hooded flight with the other pitch instruments covered. You can see that controlling the vertical speed indicator can keep altitude within limits. You’ll learn how to correct your rates of descent or climb to get a required rate. Your instructor later may cover the altimeter, attitude indicator, and vertical speed indicator, using only the airspeed indicator for pitch information. The usual introduction is in smooth air with a constant power setting and altitude. After the airspeed has stabilized, you may be required to fly straight and level at cruise, using the elevator as the airspeed control. You’ll fly the airplane for 2 or 3 minutes and your instructor will uncover the altimeter to let you see how you did or may have you set up a 360° standard-rate turn at a particular altitude, then cover the altimeter. The procedure is, as you roll into the turn, to ease in enough back pressure to decrease the established cruise airspeed by about 3% during the turn. As the roll-out is started, relax the back pressure to return to the cruise airspeed. (Uncover the altimeter to check.) This exercise is good for improving the accuracy of your pitch control. Most new instrument trainees tend to chase the airspeed because they want an instant correction. (This is a problem, particularly in the climb.) Following are some numbers derived from a Cessna 172 at a light weight and medium altitude (5,000– 6,000 feet MSL). The figures on the left represent the

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

wings-level flight airspeeds, and the minus numbers on the right are the decreases in airspeed (pitch-up) required to maintain a constant altitude in a standardrate turn (no power change): Straight and Level

Level Standard Rate of Turn

60 knots

–2 knots = 58 knots

70 knots

–2 knots = 68 knots

90 knots

–3 knots = 87 knots

105 knots

–3 knots = 102 knots

Bank Instruments Figure 4-4 shows the instruments used for bank control. Note that the attitude indicator is the only instrument that gives both pitch and bank information. That’s the reason for its location in the “basic T.” The turn and slip indicator is being replaced in many airplanes by the turn coordinator (Chapter 2). You’ll get a chance to practice plenty of timed turns during the basic portion of your instrument training with whichever instrument your airplane has. The heading indicator, like the altimeter for the pitch instruments, tells you the result of your bank control. The instructor will probably have you practice timed turns using either the turn and slip or turn coordinator with the heading indicator covered. Then you’ll look at it to check your accuracy. (The attitude indicator may be used to check the validity of the bank thumb rule for a standard-rate turn with the heading indicator covered; that is, IAS/10 × 1.5 = approximate bank angle.)

15 12 S

R

E

2 MIN

6

TURN COORDINATOR

3

L

24 W 21

33 30 N

Figure 4-4. Bank instruments.

4-5

Straight and Level Flying On instruments as in VFR flying, the majority of your time will be spent flying straight and level. If you wander all over the sky, ATC — particularly the en route radar controllers — will be wondering what is going on up there. The ability to make transitions from cruise to holding speeds and back, while maintaining altitude and heading, is of particular importance. In actual instrument flying, you may have to talk and listen on the radio, compute ETAs, and absorb other information at the same time that you are making a transition. Figure 4-5 on the next page shows the airplane’s position on the power curve and the instrument indications for normal cruise at 65% at a density altitude of 5,000 feet. Remember that the attitude indicator, if set properly, can be a valuable aid in establishing the nose attitude for straight and level. After you have pretty well gotten the idea about straight and level in the cruise area, check the power setting required to maintain a constant altitude at a speed of 30% above the power-off stall speed (gross weight), given as calibrated airspeed. (This is for single-engine, retractable-gear types and light twins.) For singleengine planes with fixed gear, a speed of 20% above the stall is recommended. Find out how much power is required to maintain a constant altitude at this speed. It will be at approximately the minimum power point as indicated by (A) in Figure 4-5. In making level-flight transitions, lead the power setting by 3 inches of manifold pressure, if possible. Say it takes 22 inches for cruise and 13 inches for the holding speed at a particular weight and altitude. When making the transition from cruise to holding, throttle back to 10 inches. Then as the airspeed approaches the proper value, set up the required 13 inches. For going back to cruise, set up 25 inches (if you can get it at your altitude), and as the airspeed reaches cruise, set the power to 22 inches again. The manifold pressure and tachometer settings given throughout this book are arbitrary. Your airplane will have its own requirements, and the basic figures will vary with weight and density altitude.

Trim Instrument trainees often have trouble with straight and level flight under the hood (or on actual instruments) because they don’t trim the airplane properly. It’s usually a throwback to their VFR flying — they never learned how to do it. Too many students and private

4-6

Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-5. Normal cruise — straight and level at 5,000 feet. The instrument indications and the power settings are shown. Note that the IAS is 137 knots for the TAS of 148 knots at 5,000 feet (standard) altitude. (The altimeter setting here is 29.92 and the outside air temperature is +5°C.)

pilots, when leveling off for cruise from a climb, take their hands off the controls and try to “catch” the proper nose position by juggling the trim control. This takes a lot of time and effort that could be used more wisely in checking the instruments. Needless to say, these people use the same crude technique in making the transition from cruise back to slow flight. Instructors have been known to fall asleep waiting for a transition to be completed by the student. The proper method for level-off is to hold the nose where it belongs with reference to straight and level flight, get the cruise power and airspeed established, and use the trim to take care of the pressure you are exerting on the wheel or stick. The same applies in slowing up — establish the nose position and let the trim take off the control pressure during and after the transition. Practice straight and level flight at minimum controllable airspeeds to drive home the need for proper trim use.

The Climb The flight instrument for initially establishing the proper straight-climb pitch attitude is the attitude indicator. You’ll set climb power and will have the wings level in order to get the best prolonged climb. The airspeed indicator is used as a finer reference. (You should soon be able to control the climb airspeed to within 1 knot in smooth air.) The main thing is, don’t chase the airspeed; if you look over and see that it’s well off the climb value, use the attitude indicator to set the proper attitude and wait. Don’t try to get the proper

airspeed back all at once because you’ll end up chasing it (over-controlling). The climb on instruments is what causes a lot of VFR pilots to get confused again about what makes the airplane go up. There have been cases of pilots who swore under oath that power was the factor that made the airplane climb and that the elevator was only used to control the proper airspeed. But, when the instructor told them that the airplane would climb better at a slower airspeed, they throttled back! Apparently, no matter how much was said about power controlling altitude, etc., they really didn’t believe it. Going back to the power-required curve, Figure 4-6 shows the power required and power available versus airspeed for a fictitious, single-engine, retractable-gear airplane at sea level and at 10,000 feet. Thrust horsepower is used because this is the actual horsepower working to fly the airplane. The airplane’s climb rate depends on the excess thrust horsepower working to “pull it up.” Looking at Figure 4-6, you can see that at one point the excess horsepower is greatest, and this is the airspeed recommended for best climb at the conditions of weight and altitude shown in Figure 4-6. Sea level was used as one altitude for simplicity. The power available is that available at the recommended climb power. Note that at the extreme ends of the curve the excess horsepower decreases pretty rapidly, which means that the airplane has a zero rate of climb at the top speed and near the stall where all the horsepower is being used to maintain altitude. This is not to say the airplane will not climb at all speeds between the two extremes (assuming climb horsepower is being used as shown),

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-6. Power-required and power-available (thrust horsepower) curves for a four-place general aviation airplane at sea level and 10,000 feet density altitude.

but as you approach the limits, the rate of climb will decrease rapidly. The equation for rate of climb is: Rate of climb (fpm) = excess thrust horsepower × 33,000 airplane weight This is nothing more than a variation of the basic facts of horsepower discussed in Chapter 3. For instance, remembering that power is a force or weight moving a certain distance in a certain length of time and that 1 hp is equal to 550 ft-lb of work/second, or 33,000 ft-lb/min., the 33,000 in the equation begins to make sense, since we are interested in the rate of climb of the airplane in feet per minute. The excess horsepower is that available to move the airplane’s weight upward in a certain period of time. The greater the excess horsepower, the faster that same weight can be moved upward; hence, the greater the rate of climb. The greater the weight to be moved upward for a certain amount of horsepower available, the less the rate of climb. So the equation says that the rate of climb (in feet per minute) is directly proportional to the excess horsepower available above that required just to maintain altitude (more excess horsepower, more rate of climb), and the rate of climb is inversely proportional to the weight (less weight, more climb, and vice versa). Suppose you are climbing at the recommended airspeed and power setting but are getting impatient. Believing that the elevators make the airplane climb, you exert back pressure to get a little more climb. The airspeed decreases, and as you can see in Figure 4-6, the excess horsepower (and rate of climb) decreases, and you do the same thing again; so the cycle begins. It ends

when the airplane stalls. You’ve had enough experience by this time to avoid this sort of foolishness. The dashed line in Figure 4-6 shows the power available for the airplane at 10,000 feet standard altitude. (Assume the THP required is the same for both altitudes.) The unsupercharged engine loses (roughly) 3–4% of its original (sea level) power per 1,000 feet of additional altitude, and so goes the excess horsepower — and rate of climb. Rate of climb decreases in a straight line with density altitude to the absolute ceiling, where rate of climb is zero. The service ceiling, you recall, for single-engine airplanes or multi’s with all engines in operation, is the standard (density) altitude at which rate of climb is 100 fpm. The maximum rate of climb VY is found at the airspeed where the maximum amount of excess thrust horsepower is available (about 60% above the flaps-up, power-off stall speed at gross). The maximum angle of climb VX is found at a lower airspeed where the maximum excess thrust is available. The thrust available to the propeller airplane decreases with increased airspeed for a given power. The best angle of climb is found at the airspeed where the maximum excess thrust exists. A plot of thrust available and drag versus airspeed for the airplane used in Figure 4-6 would show this speed to be lower than that required for max rate. The maximum angle climb is normally found between 10 and 30% above the flaps-up power-off stall speed at gross weight, depending on the airplane. As the name implies, this is the situation where more feet of altitude are gained per foot of forward travel. (The maximum angle climb, however, has a lesser rate of climb than the maximum rate of climb, but you will be more likely to clear obstructions with it.) When you are cleared to a higher altitude by ATC (not “pilot’s discretion” and with no climb restrictions — as in, “cross AERIE intersection at 6,000”), you are expected to climb at the optimum rate for your airplane until reaching 1,000 feet below the new altitude. Within 1,000 feet of the assigned altitude, you are expected to maintain 500–1,500 feet per minute climb rate (see the Instrument Procedures Handbook, Chapter 2). If you are unable to maintain a 500 fpm climb rate, advise ATC. There is some vagueness in the term “optimum rate.” Should you pitch up to VY after adding climb power, or maintain cruise speed in the climb, or something in between (a cruise-climb)? Many light planes (non-turbocharged) don’t have the performance to climb at a good rate from, say 7,000 feet to 9,000 feet without slowing toward max climb rate airspeed. You may have to notify ATC, due to your below-500fpm climb, in order to find out what they need from

4-8

Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-7. Two possible procedures for setting up a 500-fpm climb (constant power and increase airspeed or constant climb airspeed and decrease power). The maximum rate of climb airspeed for this example airplane is 90 knots.

you: climb rate, or travel across the ground. They may turn you off-course due to traffic, or cancel the altitude change. If your airplane has good performance, Figure 4-7 shows two possible procedures for the last 1,000 feet to the new altitude. You could maintain power, reduce pitch and increase airspeed for the last 1,000 feet (top part of Figure 4-7), going from best rate to cruise-climb or cruise-climb to cruise speed; or you can maintain the slower climb airspeed and reduce the power, to give you the 500 fpm rate (bottom part). So, as you can see, the 500-fpm climb can be obtained by increasing speed or decreasing power to get the same rate. (This could lead to the assumption by some pilots that the elevator controlled the change in rate of climb, but you know differently; the elevator merely acted as a control to slide you along the powerrequired and power-available curves until the proper excess horsepower is available to give the required rate of climb.) You don’t know how much excess power is needed to obtain 500 fpm, and it wouldn’t make any difference if you did. One method is to establish the particular rate of climb at the climb speed and vary the power as needed to maintain that rate. In an actual

situation you would make a constant-rate climb (500 fpm) as shown by (B) in Figure 4-7 using the VSI. You want to get on with the flight, which leads to the following procedure. Start determining power settings and airspeeds for your airplane in various maneuvers — a 500-fpm climb is one to keep in mind. Others will be covered as they come up. There are a lot of maneuvers available to get you in the habit of a good scan for your airplane. It would be good to have the power settings required to get climbs of 250, 500, and 1,000 fpm (the last climb rate, of course, is probably available only at low altitudes). But, practically speaking, 500 fpm is the only one to really have fixed in your mind. The purpose of this book is not to give you data on power settings of various airplanes (it’s readily available). This is included to have you understand the principles, so that you could go out to a Curtiss Robin or Bleriot and establish the various power settings and airspeeds that would be necessary (after a little experimenting) to obtain the desired performance. You will choose the airspeed that you need for a maneuver and then find out what power is required. For simplicity you might, for instance, want to use the same prop control setting for

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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At 3 o’clock position (15 seconds) 125 feet

At 6 o’clock position (30 seconds) 250 feet

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At 12 o’clock position (60 seconds) 500 feet

Figure 4-8. The 500-fpm timed climb.

climbs and descents, so that the only variable would be manifold pressure — if you have a constant-speed prop. That is, if an rpm of 2,400 is used for a climb, don’t go to the trouble of moving the prop control for descents. The vertical speed indicator is a valuable instrument. However, if you had a choice of which flight instrument to lose, this probably would be your choice. It’s a fine reference for smooth air and a smooth pilot but may not be so useful if it is “chased” in turbulent air. Under some conditions, it would be valuable as an aid to finding the power setting required to get a particular rate of climb or descent, but you’ll be introduced to the timed climb later. This maneuver is good for your scan development and as a method for finding out the amount of power needed to get a specific rate of climb; it will give a rough figure for remembering. Figure 4-8 shows an example of the first 500 feet of the 500-fpm climb from 4,000 to 5,000 feet. The speed for max rate of climb varies with altitude. For airplanes using max rate of climb speeds in the vicinity of 100 knots (IAS), subtract ½ knot/1,000 feet for best climb. For max angle climb add ½ knot/1,000 feet. (It’s not quite that much usually, but it’s easy to remember.) Suppose you find that at a certain weight at sea level at 2,400 rpm you can get a 500-fpm rate of climb in your airplane by using 20 inches of manifold pressure at the max rate of climb speed of, say, 90 knots. At 5,000 feet (same weight), the speed you should hold would be about 87 knots (IAS) for max climb; but check it in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook. How much power should you use? If you use 20 inches of pressure, that will be too much because you remember back in Chapter 3 that

the manifold pressure must be decreased by roughly 0.25 inch of manifold pressure per 1,000 feet of density altitude. Assuming that you’re using the same IAS, the aerodynamics, or power required, will be the same (in other words you’ll be flying at the same angle of attack, or CL (and same weight), so the lift and drag and powerrequired equations will have the same requirements as before). In order to maintain the same margin of excess horsepower and the same 500-fpm rate of climb, at altitude you will vary the manifold pressure as just given. You might check your own airplane’s power setting chart to get the amount of manifold pressure drop/1,000 feet of density altitude. You’ll find it to be from 0.25 to 0.30 inch of mercury/1,000 feet. As far as weight is concerned, it’s already known that more weight requires more power to get the same rate of climb. At 5,000 feet, the manifold pressure required at the same weight for a 500-fpm climb for the example would be 20 – (5 × 0.25) or 18.75 inches. It would be tough to read any manifold pressure gauge that closely. Suppose, now, that you are 10% over the weight used to find the original required manifold pressure of 20 inches. This would require an additional 10% (or more) of excess horsepower to have the same rate of climb (referring back to the equation). While you could figure out exactly the power required for every flyable weight at 500 fpm, it’s not worth the effort. If the rate of climb is too low, add power. If it is too high, reduce power. The idea is to have some power setting from which to start.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Climbs — Turn and Slip or Turn Coordinator, Airspeed, and Altimeter During the practical test you’ll be expected to do turns, climbs, and descents plus straight and level flight using only the turn and slip or turn coordinator, airspeed, and altimeter for flight instruments. As before, the two climbs of most interest will be the max rate and the 500-fpm climb. It will be most important to have the approximate power setting for the 500-fpm climb in mind. Figure 4-9 shows a 500-fpm “partial-panel” climb at the best rate of climb speed. The straight climb is a tough maneuver at first. You will have to keep a close eye on the turn and slip or turn coordinator because this is now your primary direction indicator. The magnetic compass is not much help in the climb, particularly in choppy air. The mag compass can be used to check for large variations in heading, but you remember that on east or west headings acceleration will result in a more northerly reading. This can be used as a check, but the needle or small airplane is still the primary heading indicator. If the needle or small airplane is deflected to one side a certain amount, deflect it an equal amount to the other side for what you think is an equal amount of time. Torque will be a particular nuisance in the partialpanel climb. In full-panel climbs where the heading indicator can be used, you’ll have a good heading check and can see immediately if torque is giving you trouble. You may think that you’re correcting very well for torque, but the needle or small airplane has to be off only a little to cause problems. Instructors cover the attitude and heading indicators to simulate partial panel flying, uncovering them to check your progress or make a point in training. In such a situation try climbing partial panel for 1 minute,

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starting out on a particular heading. Then uncover the heading indicator to check your heading. Climb another minute and uncover. You can have a good idea from this that careful supervision of the needle can result in a straight path. (It’s a good feeling, after several minutes of turn and slip or turn coordinator and airspeed work, to check the heading indicator and find that you are still very close to your original heading.) It’s particularly important that you be smooth in partial-panel climbs. In general, the same thing applies for leveling off and entering the climb as for VFR work except that you’ll have a little more problem with rudder use, altitude, and heading during the transitions.

The Descent In VFR flying, the descent has been only a method of getting down to a new altitude. Sometimes you let down fast (sounds of passengers’ eardrums popping) and sometimes slow, and you never really worried about keeping a particular rate of descent. In instrument flying a controlled rate of descent is one of the most important (if not the most important) factors in successful completion of an instrument flight. To make a perfect takeoff and climb, to hit every estimate en route, and to hold altitude within 20 feet all the way on an IFR flight are all fine. However, if you aren’t able to make a precise, controlled descent on the instrument approach, it’s all wasted — unless you want to hold until it gets VFR again (this is assuming you have a tanker plane following you around the holding pattern so that endurance is no problem). The descent is covered right after the climb because there is a tie-in between the two. The climb is the result of excess horsepower, the descent a result of deficit horsepower. First, look at the descent as a power-off condition. Figure 4-10 shows a rate of sink versus velocity curve for our fictitious airplane at maximum certificated weight at sea level and at a higher altitude (dashed line). Basically, the curve is derived by gliding the airplane at various airspeeds at a particular weight and altitude and noting the rate of descent for each speed. Obviously, it would be impractical to glide through sea level in most areas, so other density altitudes are used and the data extrapolated to sea level. True airspeed is used in Figure 4-10 to give a better look at altitude effects on rate of sink. This curve looks like the power curve turned upside down. Basically, that’s what it is. Point A shows the airspeed for the minimum rate of descent under the conditions stated, or weight and sea level altitude.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

4-11

Figure 4-10. Rate of sink versus velocity curves for a particular airplane at sea level and at altitude. Points A and B are for minimum sink and max distance glides at sea level. Points C and D represent the two types of glides at some higher altitude.

Incidentally, it might as well be noted at this time that the absolute minimum rate of sink is found at sea level (standard altitude) if all other conditions of weight, airplane configuration, etc., are equal. Then, following this and looking again at Figure 4-10, it can be said that for any indicated airspeed the lower the altitude, the lower the rate of sink in the power-off condition (and partial power condition as well, which will be covered later with further explanation). Point B is the maximum distance glide airspeed and is found by extending a line from the origin, tangent to the curve. No other speed will give the shallowest glide angle for the conditions as set up in Figure 4-10. Points C and D are the true airspeeds at altitude for minimum sink and max distance glides respectively. It’s interesting to see that the line extended through B also goes through Point D, which leads to the conclusion that the maximum distance glide ratio is the same for all altitudes. While at altitude at the speed of Point C, the airplane is sinking faster. It is also moving through the air faster because of a greater true airspeed, and the angle of glide remains the same. The glide ratio is a function of the lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) of the airplane. L/D varies with angle of attack. At one particular angle it is the greatest value. If the L/D of an airplane is 9/1 at some angle of attack, this is also its glide ratio. Since L/D is a function of angle of attack or, more properly, CL (coefficient of lift), it is often expressed as the CL/CD ratio because the other factors that affect both lift and drag — dynamic pressure, (ρ/2)V2, and wing area, S — are the same for any particular situation and cancel out, leaving only the CL and CD as

ρ 2  L   = CL 2 V S  =   CL  ρ  D CD V2S CD 2 The maximum distance glide is always found at the same CL. As far as altitude is concerned, you would see the same indicated airspeed for all altitudes to get the CL/CD max, or maximum, glide distance. But as far as weight is concerned, the indicated airspeed (or more technically correct, calibrated airspeed, but, again, we are assuming for this chapter that they are the same) for max distance glide must be decreased with decreased weight to maintain the magic coefficient of lift. This is understandable if the lift equation is examined again:  ρ  Lift = CL V2S 2 If weight is decreased, lift must be decreased in order to maintain the same balance of forces. Since only one CL provides the max CL/CD, it will be fixed. The wing area (S) is fixed so that the expression (ρ/2)V2, or dynamic pressure (or indicated/calibrated airspeed), must be decreased to maintain the same CL at the required lower lift. Following the reasoning given for the climb, the rate of sink might be expressed as Rate of sink = deficit thp × 33,000 airplane weight By controlling the amount of deficit horsepower, you can readily control the rate of descent at a chosen airspeed. In making a precision approach, the rate of

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

descent must be carefully controlled in order to stay on the glide path. Figure 4-11 shows part of an ILS approach chart for Nashville International Airport. The glide slope is set up at around 3° above the horizon, depending on the terrain and obstructions on the final course at a particular airport. The full details on the ILS will come later, but the idea of descending on the glide slope should be covered here. Chapter 5 has information on rates of descent required to follow various glide slopes (2½°, 2¾°, and 3°) at different approach speeds. Incidentally, you can get a rough idea of the rate of descent required for a 3° slope by adding a “zero” to the speed and dividing by 2 (110 knots + 0 = 1,100 ÷ 2 = 550 fpm). Speeds given are for no-wind conditions or, more accurately, are groundspeeds. If you are indicating 110 knots and are only moving down the glide slope at 90 knots but are using the descent as required for the 110knot speed, you’d run below the glide slope and run out of altitude well before getting to the field. If, on the other hand, you are indicating 90 knots on the approach and have a tailwind (and, say, a groundspeed of 110 knots), you’d better descend at the rate required for 110 knots, or you’ll be above the glide slope and won’t get down to make the field. Of course, the problem is that you don’t always know the groundspeed, and it may be constantly changing in gusty wind conditions. Your job will be to maintain a constant indicated airspeed and set the power required to maintain the proper rate of descent. In smooth air and no-wind conditions, it seems that you should be able to set the power at a particular

manifold pressure and maintain a constant airspeed and fly right down the glide slope — but that’s not always the way it works. Looking at Figure 4-11, you see that the airplane descends 3,200 feet on the glide slope during the approach (the “decision altitude” is 799 ft MSL and the descent starts at 4,000 ft MSL; more on decision altitude/height in Chapter 8). If you set the manifold (MAP) pressure at 13 inches at the start of the approach and then left the throttle alone, you’d have roughly 16 in. MAP at the bottom of the approach. Due to the descent you’d need to add 0.25 in./1,000 feet to the 13 in. MAP to maintain the same percent engine power (see Chapter 3, “Setting Power”). Without changing the throttle setting, you’d have about 2 inches too much MAP when you arrive at the decision altitude (3 × 1 in. MAP/1,000' minus 3 × 0.25 in. MAP = 2.25" too much…call it 2 inches, since you’re in the middle of an approach). You can pitch over to maintain the glide slope — higher IAS means higher ground speed, means higher required descent rate — or, remember to reduce the manifold pressure as you descend on the glide slope. Factoring in all the other variables, gear speed, flap speed, unstable approach, floating down the runway due to the higher speed, it’s much better to remember to reduce MAP. It is perfectly normal to forget at first or when under pressure, asking yourself, “Why is the wind noise so high?” That’s where practice pays off. Figure 4-12 shows what happens to the power-required and power-available curve in this situation. You subconsciously lower the nose to pick up the speed at which the required power deficit (rate of sink) is again obtained. You don’t know what this speed is, but

Figure 4-11. Part of an ILS approach chart for Nashville International Airport.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-12. Power-required and power-available curves for an airplane during an ILS approach. The throttle was set at the beginning and not changed. It’s a vicious cycle, because if the pilot shoves over to a speed to pick up a 500-fpm rate of descent, the new airspeed will require a greater rate of descent in order to stay on the glide slope.

nose over until the rate of sink is proper. You may have to overdo it slightly for a while to get back down on the glide slope, this is, of course, assuming that you haven’t touched the throttle since the beginning of the descent. An airplane of the type you’ll be flying (for a while at least) will be likely to make its best ILS approach at an indicated airspeed of from 90 to 120 knots. What is meant is that you are not allowed this variation, but that you’re not likely to pick less than 90 nor more than 120 knots for the approach airspeed. A too slow approach speed delays other traffic and in turbulent air can result in marginal control. A too fast airspeed may result in excessive floating on landing or maybe an overshoot with an unnecessary missed approach. This may not be too much of a problem for a combination of your type of airplane and airports with ILS approaches. But this is a poor habit to get into for someone who may be flying jet airliners later. For instance, for a Piper Aztec, a speed of 125 mph is often used for an ILS approach for several reasons: 1. This is 110 knots, a figure easily interpolated on approach charts (actually, it’s 109 knots, but this is close enough for practical purposes). 2. It is a speed that allows for a good margin of control in turbulent air. 3. It is fast enough to help expedite traffic flow and yet not so fast that upon reaching ILS minimums of 200 feet and ½ mile (with the landing surface in sight, naturally) the power can be reduced to idle and the airplane landed without excessive floating. 4. 125 mph is the maximum full-flaps speed so that when visual contact is made with the field the flaps can be extended without structural problems.

5. Because it is the max speed for full flaps, it is the top of the white arc on the airspeed indicator (Figure 2-3) that makes a quick reference, or “how goes it,” for an aid in your scan on the glide slope. Figure 4-13 shows one technique, and you’ll note that there is a period of level flight as you fly to intercept the glide slope. (Actually, you may have about a couple of minutes to lose 100 feet or so on some approaches, but for practical purposes it would be level flight.) One procedure would be to fly this part at the final approach speed, using enough power to maintain a constant altitude at this speed in the clean condition. Then, as you approach the glide slope, extend the gear and set the prop, maintaining the approach airspeed. For some airplanes of the type you’ll be flying, extension of the gear is exactly what is needed to get the desired rate of descent of around 500 fpm. Of course, the throttle must be retarded slightly as the plane descends, for the reasons cited earlier. The theory of Figure 4-13 is shown in Figure 4-14. Other airplanes may require slight changes in power as the glide slope is approached, or it might be better to use partial flaps as well as gear, all during the approach. For airplanes with fixed gear, the power will have to be decreased because on the level part of the approach it will already be in the “down and dirty” condition as far as the gear is concerned. Instead of increasing the horsepower required, you’ll throttle back and decrease the horsepower available and get your horsepower deficit that way. Starting at the end of the level portion of the approach, you can set up a deficit horsepower for the required rate of sink.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Figure 4-13. As the airplane comes up on the glide slope, extend the gear and set the prop. The glide slope angle is exaggerated.

Figure 4-14. Power-available and power-required curves for the two conditions shown in Figure 4-13.

Too many new instrument trainees try to fly only the glide slope indications on the approach. This makes for a considerable amount of overcontrolling. They have no idea of the combination of power and airspeed required to get the right rate of sink and try to outguess the glide slope needle by throttle jockeying and elevator flapping. The final result is a power variation from idle to full power and back to idle, with the glide slope needle going up and down like a bandleader’s baton. Figure 4-15 shows the instrument indications on an ILS approach. The glide slope is only 1.4° thick. That is, from fullup to full-down, deflection of the needle on the instrument means only 1.4° of travel through the glide slope. At ½ mile out, the 0.7° up or down means that you’d have a margin of about 32 feet up or down to keep the glide slope needle in the instrument.

Select your procedure, find a reference power setting for the descent, and use that as a quick and dirty figure. Obviously, that power setting will vary with conditions, such as variations in weight and density altitude, but you’ll have something with which to start. Your instructor probably will have available all of the power settings for the various rates of climbs and descents that you’ll be working with. If you are flying a twin, practice some 500-fpm descents with one engine throttled back to zero thrust, so that you’ll have a good idea of the power setting required with gear up or down. You might also shoot a few ILS approaches with a simulated engine failure. Figure 4-16 shows an exaggerated condition for a typical four-place, general aviation airplane on the glide slope (or on any controlled descent). In this example the pilot has gotten (or a strong downdraft has done it) well on the backside of the power curve. The pilot has pulled the nose up to “get back up on the glide slope” and applied full power but is still sinking and not moving back up on the proper glide path. The airplane should be at Point A on the glide path with the deficit horsepower existing for the proper rate of descent. Instead, here the airplane is at Point B, with full power on, below the glide path and still sinking. If the nose is pulled up any more, the rate of sink will increase. With full power already being used, the situation is critical, so the pilot must move the stick or wheel forward to climb (moving to Point C for the maximum rate of climb if that’s what is needed). With the glide slope above the airplane, the nose must be moved away from it (or lowered) in order to move up to the slope. Had you “pitched to the glide slope” here, you would have been in (more) trouble. On the front side of the power curve (A), which is a normal state of affairs, pitching to the glide slope works.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-15. Instrument indications on an ILS approach. The attitude indicator shows a more nose-down indication than might be seen in an actual situation. The airplane is on course, slightly above the glide slope, and has the landing gear down.

Figure 4-16. A fictitious four-place general aviation airplane in approach configuration well on the back side of the power curve. The position (airspeed and deficit horsepower) at (A) shows conditions for a normal approach. The airplane has ended up below the glide path because of a strong downdraft or the pilot’s shortcomings, and the situation is that as shown at (B). The pilot has raised the nose and added full power in an attempt to climb. The illustration has been “stretched” horizontally for clarity.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

In this exaggerated example the move would be to lower the nose to increase the airspeed, as shown by the heavy arrows. The power could be adjusted to stay on the glide slope after it’s reached again, or perhaps in this case the best climb speed (and full power) should be maintained, the airplane cleaned up, and a missed approach accomplished.

Descents — Turn and Slip or Turn Coordinator, Air­speed, and Altimeter You should practice straight descents using the “partialpanel” instruments. The straight descent probably will be easier to handle than the climb because of the lack of torque. But if the heading gets out of control, it can still end up as a diving spiral. The same general requirements of the partial-panel straight climb apply here. The needle or small airplane (and ball) is the primary directional and wing attitude indicator. If the indicator deviates to one side, deflect it (with coordinated controls) an equal amount to the other side for what you think is equal time. To try to chase what you think is the proper rate of descent with the throttle is a surefire way for everything to get out of hand. If you forget everything else in this chapter, remember that even a ballpark power setting and airspeed to shoot for will keep the airplane from getting away if your attention is momentarily diverted — such as may happen on the glide slope when you have to report the outer marker or when the tower calls and gives information. If you are only flying the glide slope needle and using all kinds of power settings and airspeed to do it, any distraction from the glide slope needle would mean losing it — and the possibility of having to go around for another try. With the right power and airspeed, you still might be off if distracted but not enough that you can’t get things back on course. The term “turn indicator” will be used throughout the book when there’s no difference between the usage of the instruments.

Practice Maneuvers for Climbs and Descents There are several good practice maneuvers that will help your transitions to and from climbs and descents. Don’t make the mistake of some pilots in overemphasizing the importance of the maneuvers. They are only intended to show the fundamentals of instrument flying and are not an end in themselves. You can do beautiful practice patterns all day and wouldn’t be a foot closer to your destination. Don’t fly the maneuvers mechanically. Remember what power settings it takes to get the 500-fpm (or 250 or 1,000) rate of climb or descent — and then use this knowledge. Too many pilots have the numbers for power settings and airspeeds for all kinds of flight configurations and maneuvers but forget this information under actual conditions. Keep a copy in the airplane for easy access if needed. There are all kinds of patterns, and you can make up your own. Figure 4-17 shows one that might be used to smooth out straight-ahead climbs and descents. The pattern in Figure 4-17 can be varied to fit your airplane. The descents can be made clean at first and then in approach configuration, or at least in the configuration you plan to use for the ILS or other types of approaches. You may not get a 500-fpm climb from your airplane at higher altitudes and so could use 400 fpm or even 300 fpm for the practice climbs and descents. Look at the power effects throughout the airspeed range, but don’t waste time practicing oddball and impractical combinations over and over. After you are proficient at full-panel patterns, practice the same patterns using turn indicator, airspeed, and altimeter. You might practice Figure 4-17 without any straight and level flight, going directly from climb to descent and vice versa. This will help to pin down exact power settings — and also give a look at what could happen in a missed approach situation. Other good exercises under the hood would be to set up simulated traffic patterns at a safe altitude, using gear and flaps (changing flap settings as might be done

Figure 4-17. Vertical S-1: a maneuver for smoothing out climbs, descents, and transitions thereto. Pick your own speed if you don’t like that one.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

on approach) and maintaining constant altitudes or rates of descent as applicable. Practice missed approaches (go-arounds) adding climb power, pulling the gear up and flaps up in increments. This will help your scan. Also practice this with the turn indicator, airspeed, and altimeter to smooth out your procedures.

The Turn When under positive (radar) control, you’ll be expected to make all turns standard rate, unless otherwise requested. This way the controller will know, for instance, when to start you turning onto final to intercept the ILS. If you rack the airplane around one turn and sneak around on the other, the poor controller will always be trying to outguess you. A standard-rate turn is 3°/second, or 180°/minute for the airplane you’ll be training in. That’s one thing you’ll learn about instrument flying, particularly flying partial panel; the steeper the bank, the easier it is to lose control of the airplane. A good exercise in some of the clean, retractable-gear airplanes in current use is to do some turns on partial panel at double or triple standard rate at about cruise airspeed. You’ll find that at first it requires a great deal of concentration to maintain altitude and avoid a spiral at steep banks. The thumb rule for angles of bank for a standardrate turn given back in Chapter 2 still stands; that is, Bank = airspeed (knots) + ½ of the first answer 10 The airspeed used for the thumb rules is true airspeed rather than indicated or calibrated. But for practical use, you can use indicated — for lower altitudes anyway. Knowing the angle of bank required will give another check of the turn indicator. Before practicing basic instruments, check the calibration of the needle or small airplane by setting up a standard-rate turn and checking as follows: Set up the indication for a standard-rate turn in either direction on the turn indicator as required for your particular instrument. Turn for 1 minute and then roll out. Find out the number of degrees turned in that time. If, say, 150° instead of 180° — and you had held the proper turn indicator deflection all the way — then you should hold about 11⁄5 times the indicated deflection in order to get the required 180° in one minute, that is, 180 ÷ 150 = 11⁄5. If you had turned 210° in the minute, you should then use 6⁄ 7 of the earlier turn indicator deflection to get the proper rate of turn. To double check, turn in the other direction and time it again.

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The reason for practicing timed turns is to be able to do them almost unconsciously and to be able to do them without actually having to use the clock. It’s a good maneuver for ensuring that the clock is included in your scan. In practical use, you’ll have a specific heading to turn to and won’t waste your time checking to see if the turn is exactly 3° or 3.001°/second. There’ll be clearances to acknowledge, navigational aids to check, and other things that will be of more vital interest. You must be precise, but don’t get so involved in one aspect of instrument flying that others are neglected. You could get so engrossed in making a perfectly timed turn that you’d turn past the heading needed to get on the localizer, or the heading given by the controller. Suppose you were directed by the controller to make a 180° turn to the right. It’s likely that you won’t make a perfect timed turn and will roll out off heading if you follow the clock blindly. In an actual situation, you would set up a standard-rate turn and roll out on the proper heading. You would roll out on the required heading, whether a few seconds late or early. After all, that’s the purpose of the turn — to get to a specific heading — and a few seconds either way won’t make any difference, whereas a few degrees would. A good rule for rolling out on a specific heading is to lead the heading by ⅓ the bank angle. In other words, if you’re in a 30° banked turn, start the roll-out about 10° before the desired heading is reached. It is unlikely that your standard-rate turns will be quite this steeply banked at this point of your training, since that would require a true airspeed of about 200 knots. As a round figure, 10° wouldn’t be bad for a lead in rolling out for all standardrate turns at cruise for airplanes of the type in which you’ll be training. As a little review of theory, Figure 4-18 shows the power required for a particular airplane to fly at a constant altitude (sea level), straight and level, and in a 60° banked turn. But only do 60° banks as a VMC training maneuver. Point A in Figure 4-18 shows that in straight and level flight at 65% power a certain speed (150 knots) results. In the 60° banked turn (B), in order to fly at a constant altitude. a lower speed must result. Remember, a constant altitude results when the power available equals the power required. Of course, the powerrequired curves for banks of 1–59° would fall between those shown. If for some reason you also had to maintain exactly the same airspeed in the turn as in straight and level flight, this could be done only by increasing the power available to the value shown by the higher line, which intersects the power-required curve top (Point C). Now you will be able to maintain a constant altitude at the

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Figure 4-18. Brake horsepower required to maintain a constant altitude for straight and level and a 60° banked turn. Brake horsepower is used here because the pilot would be thinking of this in setting power.

greater airspeed. Did adding power increase your airspeed? Not at all. You could have increased the airspeed merely by relaxing back pressure and letting the nose drop. The added power let the airplane fly at the higher airspeed and still maintain a constant altitude. For the shallower banks used for standard-rate turns, the airspeed loss is negligible. For steep turns it is a good idea to add power. This not only allows you to maintain altitude at a higher airspeed but also lowers the stall speed slightly. This spreads the two areas (stall and your flight speed) a little more than would be so otherwise and may help avert an unexpected stall in a tight situation. Climbing turns are another matter. If turning while executing a maximum-rate climb, the climb rate will decrease slightly, and there’s nothing you can do about it, since you are already using all of the legal power. For 500-fpm climbs, the decrease in climb rate due to the turn can be offset by slightly increased power (unless your plane is so underpowered that 500 fpm is the max rate of climb with climb power and wings level so that there’s no reserve). Where, for instance, 20 inches and 2,400 rpm give a 500-fpm wings-level climb, in a climbing turn perhaps 20.5 inches might be necessary to maintain that rate. In Figure 4-19 look at the maximum excess horsepower point as shown for a wings-level at 500 fpm and a climbing turn at the same rate. Since thrust horsepower is the criterion for climb performance, Figure 4-19 uses thrust horsepower and indicated airspeed. At any rate, you should normally not exceed a standard-rate turn at any time in the climbing turn. The steeper the bank, the less the rate of climb for any given power setting. The same basic idea applies to the

Figure 4-19. Excess horsepower for the wings-level climb and the climbing turn. (Must be the same value for the same rates of climb.)

descending turn. If you’ve picked your speed and have a power setting for a wings-level descent of so many feet per minute, the turn should require more power to maintain that same descent. Where it took 12 inches for a 500-fpm descent in the wings-level clean condition (probably another 2 inches would be required with the gear down), the turn would require perhaps 12.5 inches for the same rate of clean descent. You will practice straight climbs and descents, plus climbing and descending turns, as a part of your introduction to basic instrument flying. Practically speaking, it won’t make that much difference to worry about changing power in shallow climbing or descending turns.

Turns — Turn Indicator, Airspeed, and Altimeter The timed turn will be of value when you have no heading indicator or equivalent. Again, a steeply banked turn — particularly using turn indicator, airspeed, and altimeter only — will radically increase chances of loss of control, so at no time make turns steeper than standard rate. In using the turn indicator, some pilots say to lead with the rudder, deflecting the indicator and then following with the ailerons. If this is the way you make all your turns — VFR and full panel — then go ahead. If not, then don’t throw in a new technique here. It is recommended that you use simultaneously coordinated controls so that the turn indicator is deflected the proper amount and the ball is centered. If the ball is centered, the turn indicator will give an approximate picture of the wings’ attitude. If the ball is centered and the indicator is deflected, the wings will be down in that direction. In instrument flying, in theory at least, the ball should always be centered; there are no maneuvers in

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

normal or predictable IFR that would require slipping or skidding. As you know by now, adverse yaw at the beginning of the roll-in may cause the turn indicator to temporarily indicate a turn in the opposite direction. This is one of the reasons given for leading slightly with the rudder when using the turn and slip as a turn reference as opposed to a turn coordinator. Since such indicator action is expected, it shouldn’t cause any confusion if you are slightly late in rudder action. In rough air you have to average the indicator swings to maintain a standard rate of turn and will be likely to overdo your rollins, roll-outs, and “averaging” of the indicator swings at the beginning of your instrument training. As a possible crutch in an emergency, another method of turning to an approximate heading is the use of the turn indicator and magnetic compass, using the “Four Main Directions” method. In a shallow banked turn, the compass is fairly accurate on the headings of East or West, lags by about 30° as the plane passes the heading of North, and leads by about 30° as the plane passes the heading of South. The exact lag and lead will have to be checked for your situation, which will include latitude and other variables. For illustration purposes here, it is assumed to be 30°. This “northerly turning error” affects the compass while the plane is turning. Assume that you are flying on a heading of 060° and want to make a 180° turn. The desired new heading will be 240°. By turning to the left, there is a cardinal heading (West) reasonably close to the new heading. A standard-rate turn is made to the left, but no timing is attempted. You will be watching for West on the compass, and as the plane reaches that heading, you will start timing. The desired heading is 30° (270 – 240°) past this, and the 30° will require 10 seconds at the standard rate. The timing can be done by counting “one thousand and one, one thousand and two,” and so forth, up to 10, at which time the turn indicator and ball are centered (Figure 4-20). A turn to the right could have been made, realizing that the nearest major compass heading (South) will be 60°, or 20 seconds, short of the desired heading of 240°. In that case, you will set up a standard-rate turn to the right and will not start timing until the compass indicates 210°. Remember that the compass will lead on a turn through South and will be ahead of the actual heading by about 30°, as a round figure (Figure 4-21). When the 210° indication on the magnetic compass is given, the 20-second timing begins, either by the sweep-second hand of the aircraft clock, by your watch, or by counting.

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Figure 4-20. A turn to the left using the four main directions method.

Figure 4-21. A turn to the right using the four main directions method.

There are several disadvantages to this system, the major one being that it requires a visual picture of the airplane’s present and proposed heading and mental calculations. You may not have time or may be too excited for a mental exercise at this point. Also, in bumpy weather the compass may not give accurate readings on the four main headings. The main advantage is that reasonably accurate turns may be made without a timepiece, since any selected heading will never be more than 45°, or 15 seconds, away from a major heading.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

You should also practice steep turns — both full and emergency or partial panel. You’ll see in such turns, with the turn indicator pegged, that your scan will have to be well developed or you’ll end up in a spiral. It’s also a graphic display of why you want to keep turns standard-rate (and maybe even less) when using the turn indicator, airspeed, and altimeter. The equation for rate of turn is: Rate of turn (degrees/sec) = 1,091 tan ø V (knots) The term ø is the bank, in degrees. The tangent of the angle may be found on many pocket calculators but is given here for several banks (rounded off): Angle 15° 30° 45° 60°

Tangent 0.27 0.58 1.00 1.73

So for a bank of 15° at 100 knots: Rate of turn = 1,091 × 0.27 = 2.95°/sec 100 (knots) The thumb rule cited earlier gives an answer of 3°/sec, or a standard-rate turn. The radius of turn may be found by the equation: 2 Radius = V (knots) 11.3 tan ø

Assuming a bank of 30° and a true airspeed of 150 knots, the radius is: (150)2 = 3,433 feet (11.3) (0.58) These formulas are good examples for all flying (IFR or VFR): if you need to get turned in a small area or a short amount of time (box canyon or avoid that weather hazard) — slow down. Slower gives a smaller radius or a higher turn rate for a given bank angle.

Practice Maneuvers for the Four Fundamentals One maneuver that combines all the expected flight patterns is shown in Figure 4-22. You can make up others to suit your requirements. Do these using the full panel at first and, of course, under the hood with a safety pilot on board. After problems on timed turns and descents are pretty well ironed out, a realistic practice procedure is to simulate a holding pattern, as shown in Figure 4-23.

At first, you’ll do this without using a holding fix or electronic aids. Later, you’ll practice holding over a VOR or intersection. Make sure the wind doesn’t drift you over into the next county when practicing without electronic aids. The safety pilot can keep an eye out for this. For realism you might make two level circuits and then descend 1,000 feet (at 500 fpm) sometime during the next one. Make two more circuits and then descend another 1,000 feet at 500 fpm. You’ll note that the holding pattern in Figure 4-23 takes 4 minutes for a complete circuit. Descending at 500 fpm would mean that part of the descent would be in the straightaway and part in the turn. In an actual situation of being shuttled down from a holding pattern, such as would be the case for airplanes being stacked over the approach fix, you will commence the descent immediately upon clearance from ATC. You would not wait for the sweepsecond hand to conveniently reach the 12-o’clock position — you descend immediately. This means that a knowledge of the power setting required for a 500-fpm clean descent is important. You’ll be holding in the clean condition (don’t require extra power by having the gear or flaps down — if the gear is retractable, that is). You might also practice setting up the conditions of manifold pressure, rpm, and mixture that would be used to conserve fuel during holding. Practice holding patterns, using 1-minute legs for both straightaways. You’ll find that an actual holding pattern may require extending or shortening the time for the outbound leg to take care of wind for a 1-minute inbound leg. Figure 4-24 shows what might be the case. Holding patterns as applied to an actual IFR situation will be covered in Chapter 12. You should practice them using only the turn indicator, airspeed, altimeter, and magnetic compass after becoming proficient in using the full panel of instruments. You may ease into simple holding patterns, using a fix (VOR, etc.), at the end of these sessions. While being required to set up a holding pattern in real conditions is becoming increasingly rare, knowledge of the procedure is necessary, and practice here will also help develop your scan. Here are some maneuvers that can help build your confidence (in every case the manifold pressure gauge and/or tachometer will be part of your scan).

Straight and Level 1. Cover the turn indicator, heading indicator, and airspeed. Fly for 2 minutes, keeping the wings level with the attitude indicator and maintaining a constant altitude. Uncover the heading indicator and

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-22. A simple (?) practice pattern. There will be times it will keep you as busy as someone scratching chiggers but will help establish a good scan for your particular airplane. (This is known as the Charlie pattern.)

check your heading change (if any) after the 2-minute period (normal cruise at 65% power). 2. Use only the heading indicator and altimeter to fly straight and level. You will find that the heading indicator is a very important aid in keeping the wings level. If the direction changes, a wing is down. You’ll soon find you can use the heading indicator for wing attitude information almost as well as the attitude indicator (normal cruise). 3. Set up a cruise at a constant altitude, noting the airspeed after things are stabilized, then fly straight and level for 3 minutes, using only the airspeed for pitch and the heading indicator for bank information. (Cover the other four flight instruments.) You’ll be surprised how closely you can fly the airspeed and how little altitude variation there is after the altimeter is uncovered at the end of 3 minutes.

Figure 4-23. A practice holding pattern.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Transitions (Constant Altitude and Heading) You should be able to make smooth constant-altitude and heading transitions from cruise airspeed down to holding and approach speeds. You can use the following exercise (hooded, with a safety pilot) to check on your scan and control of the airplane (full panel at first): 1. Trim the airplane and fly straight and level at normal cruise for 2 minutes. 2. Slow to 10 knots below cruise, adjust power, and trim. Fly for 2 minutes. 3. Continue to reduce the airspeed by 10 knots (your instructor may want to use 5 knots) until down to 10 knots above a stall, or the approach/holding speed, whichever is lowest. Fly for 2 minutes, level and with a constant heading. Here’s where you’ll learn the importance of trimming the airplane. 4. Work back up to cruise in 10-knot intervals. If you’re taking instrument training in a clean retractable, you will see the need for planning ahead when slowing from cruise — it seems that altitude is gained and you’ll tend to still be trying to lose airspeed while passing the holding fix. Your instructor may require some less radical airspeed/altitude changes in the approach configuration (if it’s different from the en route configuration).

Some common errors in transitions are: Poor altitude control — You will at first tend to gain altitude as you slow up and lose altitude when increasing the airspeed. This is normally the result of pitch changes that are too rapid. Heading control problems — You’ll tend to get fixated on altitude and may discover that the airplane has moved well off the prechosen heading. Poor trim use — You may feel that you can “hold it” and trimming is too much trouble for the short periods. Get in the habit of automatically trimming for airspeed, power, and configuration changes. Again, good trim habits can keep the airplane under control if you’re distracted. Use the rudder trim at low speeds if it’s available. Power control problems — Don’t try to get the rpm or manifold pressure exactly right with your first power change. Get back to the flight instruments and then readjust power more closely as needed. If you stay concentrated on power adjustment (or, in other cases, nav instruments) for too long at a time, altitude and heading control will suffer. The vertical speed indicator will be a good indicator of trends, but don’t “chase” it.

Figure 4-24. Some possible variations of time for the outbound legs in the holding pattern for different wind conditions.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

Turns 1. Make a constant-altitude standard-rate turn, using the attitude indicator, airspeed, and altimeter only — setting up the bank as required to get a 3°/second turn for a particular airspeed (normal cruise at 65% power). Start out on a prechosen heading and make timed turns of 90°, 135°, 180°, etc. Uncover the heading indicator and check your accuracy after each turn. 2. Turn to predetermined headings using the heading indicator, airspeed, and altimeter only. You can approximate the correct rate of turn by the rate of direction-change. With a little practice you can set up a rate of turn that’s close to standard rate. The main thing is to keep your scan going and not let the rate of direction-change be too great (bank too steep). If this is the case, shallow the bank and get the turn back to a more reasonable rate. In actual flight, if you have lost the attitude indicator and turn indicator (an unlikely loss combination to be sure), a serious situation exists. The main idea is to keep the airplane under control and roll out on predetermined headings. An exact standard turn rate is less important than those two requirements. Practice the above at slow-flight speed and expected holding speed. Use the airspeed and turn indicator only for some turns.

Descents 1. Make straight descents at 500 fpm using the heading indicator, airspeed, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator. Use the power setting worked out earlier to get the 500-fpm descent at the chosen approach speed. Notice that the proper combination of power and airspeed gives the required rate of sink. In smooth air you can easily check the relationship of power, airspeed, and descent by covering up the airspeed indicator. By setting power and carefully keeping the 500-fpm descent (with the elevators), you can uncover the airspeed indicator to find that the approach speed is being held. (The elevators had controlled the proper airspeed while that instrument was covered.) You’ll see that by using the heading indicator, altimeter, vertical speed, and power instruments you can make pretty accurate descents in smooth air without airspeed, attitude indicator, or turn indicator. 2. Do the same as above, using the attitude indicator and then the turn indicator to replace the heading indicator. Check your heading (uncover the heading indicator) after a couple of minutes of straight descent.

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You might cover the altimeter also during one of your descents and see what can be done with the heading indicator, power setting, vertical speed indicator, and timing. (After a 500-fpm descent at a prechosen number of minutes — don’t fly into the ground — uncover the altimeter and see how close you are to the correct altitude.) Practice descending turns using the flight combinations just discussed. The instructor will have you practice missed approaches by having you descend at, say, 500 fpm in approach configuration to a predetermined “DA” or “MDA” and have you execute a missed approach, noting the altitude required to add climb power and stop the descent; then you will clean up and climb. This is one of the most critical phases of instrument flying and you’ll be very busy the first few times. You must be able to stop the descent and get a climb rate started. The distraction of raising gear and flaps (if used) can cause a problem with heading and altitude that could be fatal in an actual situation. So practice.

Climbs 1. Make climbs at recommended climb power and airspeed. Check the approximate rate of climb at a “medium” altitude (4,000–6,000 feet MSL for most of the United States). Say it’s 700 ft/min at the chosen altitude, power setting, and airspeed. Using the heading indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator plus proper power, set up a straight climb (turn indicator, airspeed, and attitude indicator covered). By carefully (easy!) maintaining the expected rate of climb, the airspeed can be held reasonably close to the recommended value. 2. Make climbs and climbing turns using the airspeed and altimeter plus turn indicator or attitude indicator. Use power required for a 500-fpm climb rate. Figures 4-25, 4-26, 4-27, and 4-28 show flight instrument combinations you can use in smoothing out the Four Fundamentals and basic instrument flying. These maneuvers will show the relationships between the various flight instruments and power settings. Confidence in your ability to fly the airplane with some flight instruments out of action will increase radically.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying Turns

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Figure 4-25. Instrument combinations for practice of straight and level flying. Uncover the other instruments after several minutes of using the various combinations. (A) Airspeed, attitude indicator, and altimeter to show relationships between three of the four pitch instruments. (B) The two flight instruments absolutely necessary for flying IFR. All other flight instruments are aids to these. (C) The turn indicator is used for turn indications (what else?), and the attitude indicator and altimeter are used for pitch control here. (D) Flying straight and level with airspeed for pitch (after equilibrium has been established) and the turn coordinator for heading control. Uncover the altimeter and heading indicator to check progress after 3–4 minutes of flying by these two instruments. (E) Heading indicator and vertical speed indicator. (F) Airspeed for pitch and heading indicator.

Figure 4-26. Instrument combinations for practice of turns. (A) Attitude indicator and altimeter. Set up the proper bank to maintain a standard-rate turn at the chosen airspeed. Start at a particular heading, then cover the heading indicator. Roll out at the time required to turn to a predetermined heading and uncover the heading indicator. (B) Do the same exercise using the turn coordinator or turn and slip and altimeter. (C) Airspeed and heading indicator combination. Note that the airspeed has been decreased by 3% for the pitch required to maintain altitude in a standard-rate turn, as mentioned earlier in the chapter. Here you are using the rate of direction change to maintain a standard rate of turn (or as close to it as possible). Figure 4-27. (Right page) Descents. (A) Straight descent without the attitude indicator or turn indicator. The power is set to get 500 fpm at the chosen descent speed. (B) A timed straight descent without the attitude indicator or heading indicator. Check (uncover) the heading indicator after leveling off. Use an altitude “lead” of 10% of the rate of descent; for a descent of 500 fpm, start to level off 50 feet above the chosen altitude. (For 1000 fpm, use 100 feet, etc.) (C) A timed straight descent using the attitude indicator, vertical speed indicator (VSI), and clock (plus power for 500-fpm descent). You’ll find that by using the proper power setting and maintaining a 500-fpm rate of descent on the VSI, if the airspeed indicator is uncovered during the descent, the airspeed will be very close to 90 knots for this example airplane. After the proper lapsed time and leveling, uncover the altimeter to check your descent accuracy. Also check the heading indicator to see how you fared on heading. Theoretically, if you kept the wings level, the heading should be close on, but check it anyway. (D) A timed descending turn to a predetermined altitude and heading. After rolling out and leveling off, uncover the altimeter and heading indicator.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

4-25

Recoveries from Unusual Attitudes

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Turbulence or other outside factors could result in the airplane getting into such an attitude that control could be temporarily lost as well as tumbling the attitude indicator and heading indicator. If this happens, you are left with the job of using the turn indicator, airspeed, and altimeter for immediate recovery. Remember, for the average, less expensive heading indicators, the tumbling (or spilling) limits are 55° of pitch or roll; the attitude indicator will tumble at 70° of pitch and 100° of bank. After these two instruments have tumbled, you’ll recover with the turn indicator, etc., and reset the two that failed you. Naturally, all airplanes have caging and setting knobs on the heading indicator, but some airplane makes and models do not have a resetting knob for the attitude indicator. If it has tumbled, you’ll have to fly straight and level for several minutes before it will reerect itself. This is a decided disadvantage in turbulent air, and you may have to use the turn indicator for some time. However, getting the heading indicator back in action can be a great help. The two most common results of loss of control are the power-on spiral and/or the climbing stall. The climbing stall may turn into a power-on spiral, and sometimes vice versa, but you should catch it before this happens. Because the attitude indicator could be tumbled in more radical attitudes, its information may not always be trustworthy. If you are the kind of person who stares rigidly at the attitude indicator without cross-checking the other instruments — if the attitude indicator is the only instrument as far as you are concerned — then you’re in for a harsh awakening when you try to fly a tumbled one. Some beginning instrument pilots are so wrapped up in the attitude indicator that, if through mechanical failure it shows the airplane as rolling over on its back, the student would roll the airplane over on its back to “turn right side up” again, without bothering to cross-check other instruments.

Power-On Spiral Figure 4-29 shows what the partial-panel instruments would be showing in a power-on spiral, after the attitude indicator and heading indicator have tumbled. Actually, it would take some doing to tumble the attitude indicator in the spiral — you’d have to be banked past vertical to do it — but perhaps the gyro tumbled earlier when you first flew into that thunderstorm and did the barrel roll.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

Look at the indications of the instruments that are still functioning (Figure 4-29).

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A. Airspeed — High and/or increasing. B. Turn indicator — The needle or small airplane will show a great rate of turn. The ball may or may not be centered. C. Altimeter — Showing a loss of altitude, probably rapid loss. D. Vertical speed indicator — A high rate of descent. It won’t be any help for you to try to pull the nose up without leveling the wings. You can impose very high load factors at high airspeeds and could cause structural failure without helping the recovery. The following steps (in the order cited here) are recommended (Figure 4-30): 1. Reduce power — This is particularly important for the fixed-pitch prop, which may be turning up over the red line in the spiral. For the constant-speed prop, it will cause the blades to flatten and increase drag. 2. Center the turn indicator through coordinated and simultaneous use of the aileron and rudder — As indicated by Figure 4-29, you would use right aileron and right rudder. Don’t use any gimmicks; the instruments tell you the airplane is in a spiral dive. Under visual conditions, you would use coordinated controls in such a maneuver, so do it here. Misuse of the aileron or rudder at high airspeeds can impose large twisting moments on the wings and/or can cause failure of the vertical fin by excess yaw. As the wings are leveled, it is most likely that the nose will start to rise sharply because of your Figure 4-28. Climbs. This airplane uses 75 knots as the best climb airspeed. (A) Straight climb, using all flight instruments (plus power). (B) Straight timed climb without the attitude indicator, heading indicator, or altimeter. Uncover the heading indicator and altimeter at the end of the prechosen time period to check your accuracy. (C) Timed climbing turn to a predetermined heading and altitude (airspeed, attitude indicator, and altimeter covered). At the end of the time period uncover those instruments and check your altitude. The heading should be good, since you have use of the heading indicator during the climbing turn. (D) A climb (500 fpm) and turn to a prechosen altitude and heading using all flight instruments. Stop the climb and turn as the prechosen indications are reached.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

4-27

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Figure 4-29. A power-on spiral to the left. The heading indicator and attitude indicator are not in business.

original trim condition and/or because of back pressure you’ve added unconsciously. Do not allow too quick a pull-up. True, you have been, and are, going downhill at a prodigious rate and your every instinct is to get back up, but this can be as fatal as if you flew into a hill. Take it easy. Don’t make a rolling pull-out. A rolling pull-out imposes greater stress on the wings than the straight one (all other factors equal). A g meter, or accelerometer, would show the same number of g’s being pulled, but one wing will have more stress imposed on it than the “average,” as shown on the g meter. If you are already pulling the limit as an “average,” that wing could decide to fail on its own. But for speeds well below the red line and for a nonviolent pull-up on your part, the rolling pull-out will expedite the recovery. In an actual situation you’ll tend to be jerky in your responses during the recovery, and overcontrolling may be a factor. One problem students have in using the turn indicator in a spiral recovery is rolling the wings past level, particularly if adverse yaw is present. Okay, the answer is to be coordinated. Adverse yaw will be less a factor at high

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speeds than low and will be more of a problem on the recovery from an approach to a stall. 3. Check the airspeed — As the wings are being leveled, the nose will start to come up of its own accord. In fact, it’s unlikely that any measurable amount of back pressure will be needed. You’ll have to judge this for yourself, however. In the recovery an approximation of level nose attitude is reached when the airspeed makes its first perceptible change. In the spiral dive, the airspeed will either be increasing or will be steady at some high speed. As the nose moves up in recovery, the airspeed at some point will stop increasing or start to decrease if it was steady. This hesitation or decrease occurs when the nose is approximately level. So at this first sign of airspeed change, relax back pressure, or apply forward pressure as necessary, to keep the nose from moving farther upward. Don’t keep pulling the nose up until cruise (or climb airspeed) is reached in the third step of recovery. The nose will be so high that control will be lost (again). It’s not inconceivable that you might end up on your back at the top of a loop. Don’t try to rush the airspeed back to cruise. It will soon settle down of its own accord if you stop the altimeter and have the power back at cruise. Read on! 4. Immediately after the “rough” leveling is done by reference to the airspeed change, you will “stop the altimeter” —  You’ll be at some particular altitude when you make the rough recovery to level flight using the airspeed. Try to keep it, or at least don’t go below it (it’s more likely that you will tend to climb above it because of excess airspeed). Use the turn indicator to keep the wings level during this stage. Here you have two choices: (a) You can “pin down” that altitude and hold it as the airspeed eases back to cruise (assuming you have cruise power back on), or (b) you immediately can start a climb back to the original altitude as you recover. The second

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Figure 4-30. Recovery from a power-on spiral using the partial or emergency panel (Steps 1-4 in the text).

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

alternative is usually considered when the loss of altitude may have been such that obstructions, such as mountains, antennas, etc., could be a hazard. Also, if you lost control while en route on an IFR flight, you just might be down in somebody else’s assigned altitude, and that’s no place to be for any length of time. Ease up to the airspeed and altitude; don’t overdo it and lose control again. After the compass has settled down somewhat, set the heading indicator; even a quick and dirty setting will be better than nothing. You can make fine adjustments later. If the attitude indicator has a caging knob, cage it and uncage it again when the airplane is in straight and level flight as shown by the basic instruments. If the attitude indicator does not have a caging knob, the heading indicator will come in handy as an aid to the basic instruments in flying straight and level for the required period of time for it to reerect itself.

Perhaps you’d better revise your estimate to the next IFR reporting point. You have been dawdling, you know. Figure 4-32 presents an idea on climbing to a predetermined altitude and heading after recovery from a “real” power-on spiral. (The numbers usually won’t work out evenly in a real situation.) The point is that a certain heading and altitude are to be attained, and the goals aren’t often reached at the same time. As the example in Figure 4-32 shows, the heading is reached before the altitude, so that the wings are leveled and a straight climb is continued. (The altitude could be reached first in another situation, so that the airplane is leveled off and the turn continued.)

Recovery from the Approach to a Climbing Stall and from the Stall Itself The climbing stall often happens because you were too eager to gain back altitude lost in the power-on spiral. Or maybe you neglected to catch that airspeed change when the nose was level and just kept pulling back until… Being pessimistic (again), it will be assumed that you have lost the heading and attitude indicators. Figure 4-33 shows what you would probably be seeing in such a case.

Figure 4-31 shows two techniques of recovery from a power-on spiral using the attitude indicator (assuming that it’s still in action). Once having regained control, you can make a climbing turn back to the original altitude and heading.

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Figure 4-31. (Top) If the attitude indicator is still in action, it could be used to recover from the power-on spiral. A simultaneous roll-out and pull-up will expedite the recovery, but as noted earlier, at higher speeds a rolling pull-out can put high stress on the airplane. (Bottom) A technique using the attitude indicator; this is close to the partial-panel recovery procedure. The wings are leveled in the dive and then the nose is eased up to the level flight attitude. (From The Flight Instructor’s Manual)

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-32. (A) Control of the airplane is recovered on a heading of 210° and altitude of 5,300 feet. The desired heading and altitude are 120° and 6,000 feet respectively. A climb and a standard-rate turn is started. (B) The heading of 120° is reached, the turn is stopped, and a straight climb is continued to the required altitude. (C) The requirement is complete when the airplane is on both the desired heading and altitude.

It’s assumed that you’ll enter this condition at cruise power. Reviewing the instrument indications: 1. Airspeed — Decreasing, and probably doing so rapidly. 2. Turn indicator — May or may not be centered. However, it is likely that the needle or airplane will be deflected to the left, and the ball will show a left skidding turn (ball to the right, as shown in Figure 4-33) because of torque effects. You could, however, be in the climbing right turn. 3. Altimeter — Altitude increasing or steady in the last part of the stall. 4. Vertical speed indicator — A high rate of climb. Because of the lag of the instrument, it is likely that it will still be showing a good rate of ascent even as the stall break is occurring. The recovery technique will be as follows: 1. Relax the back pressure (or use forward pressure if necessary) until the airspeed stops decreasing; or if it has been holding fairly constant, until it starts to increase — Try to stop the nose at the instant of the airspeed change. This works very well if the stall break hasn’t occurred. If you’ve just reached the stall break, let the nose move down slightly past the point of this indication to ensure enough of a nose-down attitude to avoid a secondary stall. 2. In both situations, apply full power as the nose is lowered — This lowers the stall speed, hastens the recovery, and decreases altitude loss.

Figure 4-33. Approach to a climbing stall. Attitude indicator and heading indicator are inoperative.

3. Center the turn indicator — If the stall has broken, make sure that the ball is kept centered if possible. It doesn’t matter too much whether you are turning slightly (as shown by an offset needle or small airplane) during the recovery, but avoid yawing or skidding flight (as shown by the offset ball). A skid or slip can result in one wing stalling before the other, which could possibly lead to a spin. Try the unusual attitude maneuvers in VFR conditions without a hood. Notice that for most airplanes, as long as the ball remains centered at the break, problems of one wing or the other paying off first, with rolling tendencies, are minimized. However, you should check the reactions of your particular airplane in this regard. The problem is having enough rudder power at low speeds to keep the ball centered. In your VFR stalls, you’ll notice in most cases that the airplane tends to roll away from the ball at the break. If the ball is to the right, roll, if present, will most likely be to the left (and vice versa). Notice that here the centering of the turn indicator is secondary to keeping the airspeed up. You can (and will) probably do Steps 1 and 2 simultaneously as you progress. 4. Use the altimeter to level off — It’s unlikely that the altitude loss will be the problem in this situation because you’ve been climbing at a goodly rate as the stall was approached. After you’ve checked airspeed, look at the altimeter. Then, rather than trying to stop the altimeter exactly there, perform as described in the first phase of the recovery; allow about 100 feet of altitude loss during recovery to ensure that you’ll stay out of a secondary stall that would cost even more altitude. Of course it’s always best to recover without further loss of altitude. Perhaps you can do this in the trainer you’re using,

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

particularly if the break has not occurred. It depends on the particular airplane whether this can be done or not. After the airspeed and altitude are under control, make the turn to the required heading and get back to the proper altitude. Get the heading and attitude indicators back in action as soon as possible to help in this. Adjust the power as necessary. The primary objective is to get that airspeed back in a safe range, and you can make heading corrections later.

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Figure 4-34 sums up the steps in recovering from an approach to a climbing stall (partial panel). Figure 4-35 shows two methods of recovery from an approach to a climbing stall if the attitude indicator is still in action. The technique (top) is a simultaneous lowering of the nose as the wings are leveled; this works well if the airplane hasn’t stalled. The nose is lowered first (bottom), and the wings are leveled after the nose is below the horizon; this method is best if a stall has occurred. There will be considerable feelings of slipping during this technique.

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Figure 4-34. Steps in recovering from an approach to a climbing stall (partial panel). (A) Use forward pressure until the airspeed starts to increase. (B) Add full power as the nose is lowered. (C) Level the wings with the turn coordinator or turn and slip; center the ball if necessary. (D) If the altimeter hesitates at an altitude indicating level flight, “fly down” another 100 feet to ensure getting farther from the stall.

Figure 4-35. (Top) Simultaneously dropping the nose and leveling the wings, using the attitude indicator (if it’s available). (Bottom) The nose is lowered, then the wings are leveled, using the attitude indicator. Expect some slipping feelings in this type of recovery. In both cases the nose is brought down well below the horizon to avoid a secondary stall. (From The Flight Instructor’s Manual)

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

Spin Recoveries It’s extremely unlikely that you will have problems with a spin. The modern certificated (normal and utility category) airplane is highly resistant to spins and, even if forced into one, will usually sneak into a diving spiral unless held in the spin. However, being under stress and/or flying an illegally loaded plane could be different matters. The spin is an aggravated stall with autorotation. It’s called autorotation because one wing is more deeply stalled than the other and the lesser-stalled wing effectively “flies around” the more stalled wing, with no further input from the pilot. The rolling motion produced tends to maintain the stall condition and imbalance of lift; thus the “auto” in autorotation. The spin is usually the result of one wing being stalled before the other. This is why it’s important to keep that ball centered during the stall approach and break when you’re on instruments. The normal procedure in practicing spins under VFR conditions (don’t, unless you are in an airplane that is approved for spins) is usually described as follows. You would be sure that you had plenty of altitude and the area was clear of other airplanes. Regulations require that the recovery be completed no lower than 1,500 feet above the surface (3,000 feet is better). Make sure that you are operating in accordance with 14 CFR §91.303. (Take a qualified instructor with you.) You would “clear the area” by making a 90° turn in each direction, looking to all sides and particularly below you. Swallow that lump and wipe your sweaty palms one more time, then pull the carburetor heat (if recommended for your airplane) and ease the nose up to do a straight-ahead, power-off stall. (Some airplanes require use of power to get the spin started.) Just before the break occurs, use full rudder in the direction in which you want to spin (as an example, to the left). This will yaw the nose to the left, slowing down the relative speed of the left wing and speeding up the right. A rolling motion is produced to move the left wing down, suddenly increasing its angle of attack past the critical point, and it stalls while the right wing is still flying. A definite rolling motion is produced, and the nose moves over and down to the left. If you relax back pressure, the maneuver would become a spiral, but you have the stick or wheel full back and are holding it. In Figure 4-36 the spin is developing, and the indications show that the attitude indicator and heading indicator have vacated the premises, so to speak. The basic instruments (plus the vertical speed instrument) will indicate that the plane is in the spin by the following indications (Figure 4-37):

4-31

Turn indicator — The needle or small airplane will indicate the direction of rotation, but the ball in many airplanes will always go to the left side of the instrument (if the instrument is on the left side of the panel as shown in Figure 4-36). Look at Figure 4-39. The ball will be to the left for a left panel instrument, no matter what the direction of spinning is. Conversely, the ball in a right-side mounted instrument will always go to the right, whether in a left or right spin. Airspeed — Although you are descending at a good rate in the spin (5,500–7,500 fpm in some general aviation airplanes), the airspeed will remain low and fairly constant, but the value may oscillate to some extent. Altimeter — This instrument will be showing a rapid loss of altitude. Vertical speed indicator — This also shows that the airplane has a high rate of descent (the VSI needle is “pegged”— at the limit — on the descent scale). The clues that indicate that the airplane is spinning must be judged together. There is rotation, as shown by the needle or small airplane. It could be that the needle and ball would indicate a skidding turn; don’t use the ball, but note what the other indications (needle or small airplane, airspeed, altimeter, vertical speed indicator) indicate. The facts that (1) the airspeed is low, (2) a high rate of turn is indicated, and (3) a high rate of descent is occurring lead to the conclusion that the airplane is spinning. The turn indicator shows that the spin is to the left, so the following recovery technique should be used: Close the throttle. For many airplanes power tends to flatten the spin and delay recovery, so get it off (Figure 4-38). Opposite rudder (right rudder here) to needle or small airplane. This is not to imply that the needle is flown with the rudder and the ball with the ailerons, as has been sometimes advocated. It’s just that you’ve been told by the instruments that you’re in a spin and are using the VFR mechanical technique (Figure 4-39). Relax back pressure or use brisk forward pressure as recommended by the manufacturer as soon as the rudder reaches its stop. (Some airplanes may require a brisk forward movement of the stick or wheel right after opposite rudder is used.) Check the airspeed. As soon as it starts picking up, you are out of the spin and should get off the recovery rudder. You are now in a straight dive. The spin itself puts practically no stresses on the airplane, but a sloppy or delayed pull-out from the dive following the recovery does (Figure 4-40). The first thought would be that you should perhaps keep the nose down until cruise speed is indicated before starting the pull-out to be sure to avoid another stall and

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Figure 4-36. The instrument indications in the onset of a spin. The vertical speed indicator will be pegged full down as the spin develops. The heading indicator and attitude indicator have tumbled here. Figures 4-38 – 4-41 show the steps for recovery.

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Figure 4-37. Indications of a developed left spin. (A) The turn and slip needle or turn coordinator (small airplane) will probably be deflected to the stop. In this side-by-side seating example, the ball is pegged to the left (and will be so for left or right spins) because of the instrument’s position on the left side of the instrument panel. (B) The airspeed is very low, and in some spin modes may indicate zero. (C) The altimeter will show a rapid loss of altitude. (D) The vertical speed indicator will probably be pegged, since rates of descent (depending on the airplane type and spin mode) may be in the 6,000- to 10,000-fpm range.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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possible spin. However, you would readily see in a VFR spin that, as soon as the back pressure is relaxed, or forward pressure applied, the airspeed will pick up very rapidly (the nose of the airplane is practically straight down) so that any delay in the pull-out could cause you to exceed the red line speed, plus causing an excessive loss of altitude. So as soon as the airspeed starts increasing, get off the rudder and start applying back pressure smoothly. The airspeed will continue to increase during this process. Watch for the airspeed to stop increasing. That point, as discussed in the pull-out of the power-on spiral, shows that the nose is approximately level, and you should relax back pressure or use forward pressure to stop the nose in the level position. Check the altimeter as soon as the forward pressure has been exerted (or back pressure has been relaxed). Use this instrument to level off (Figure 4-41). Figures 4-38 through 4-41 summarize the steps during the spin recovery and back to cruising flight. Adjust power, heading, and altitude as necessary to get back to where you were when this fiasco started. Reset the attitude and heading indicators as soon as possible. Again, it is extremely unlikely that you will ever get into a spin accidentally, either VFR or on instruments. Of course, it wouldn’t be much help to you if people said, “Isn’t it amazing; Ol’ Joe spun in all the way from 9,000 feet on IFR — first time I’ve heard of that in years.”

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Figure 4-39. Both of these instruments are on the left side of the instrument panel. Ignore the ball. Check the turn indicator. Apply full opposite rudder to the needle or small airplane indication. (From Basic Aerobatic Manual)

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Figure 4-40. After applying full opposite rudder and moving the wheel briskly forward, the airspeed moving from zero (or from a very low airspeed) shows that the recovery has started. Neutralize the rudder and start applying (centered) back pressure on the wheel. During the recovery the increasing airspeed tells you that the airplane is out of the spin. Don’t fixate on the turn and slip or the turn coordinator after checking the direction of rotation or during the forward motion of the wheel or during the pullout; the turn indicator(s) could, in some cases, be jammed to one side or the other, even as a wings-level pull-up is being accomplished.

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-41. After the pull-out is started, the following steps are recommended to complete the spin recovery: (A) Continue the back pressure (or allow the nose to rise), watching the airspeed. When the airspeed hesitates or stops increasing, the pitch attitude is approximately level. (B) Look at the altimeter immediately and pick the closest altitude to “fly.” (Don’t let the altitude increase or decrease—”fly” the altimeter with the elevators as the airspeed bleeds back to the cruise regime.) Significant forward pressure may be needed initially to keep the nose from continuing to pitch up. (C) The turn coordinator or turn and slip is again dependable once the airplane is in the straight and level condition. Keep the wings level. “Fly” the altimeter. (D) As the cruise airspeed is approached, add power to cruise value.

Instrument Takeoff (ITO) You’ve been making takeoffs for some time and probably rightly feel that there’s not much to be shown to you as far as this maneuver is concerned. However, during your instrument training, you may be introduced to the ITO. Other than for training and as a confidence builder, the ITO has no real-world place. Taking off from an airport you have no chance of returning to and being unable to see the runway in order to keep the airplane aligned, or avoid obstacles wandering around (deer, dogs, flocks of birds walking because the weather is so bad), is foolish. It’s one thing to take off below landing minimums when you know the airport just down the road is good or even clear (still risky), but a takeoff without usable forward visibility is taking too many chances. But on a nice day with your instructor in the right seat to keep things under control, this exercise can give you a real sense for “flying solely by reference to instruments.” You may hear a number of “gimmicks” on setting the reference airplane on the attitude indicator before

making an instrument takeoff (or a takeoff that will put you into instrument conditions right away). Ignore them. Before takeoff, set the small airplane as closely as you can to the actual attitude of the airplane at that time. That way you will have a true picture of your airplane for takeoff, climb, and cruise without having to change it later. Setting the attitude indicator for the tricycle-gear airplane is simple, in that the attitude of the airplane is generally considered to be level. The tailwheel type is a different matter. If you are the scientific type, you could use a protractor and measure the angle the longitudinal axis makes with the ground, or better yet, some Pilot’s Operating Handbooks contain this information. (For instance, the Beech Super 18 gives this figure as 11.5°, assuming proper tire and oleo inflation.) During VFR or simulated instrument flight you could, at a fairly low altitude (say, 2,000 or 3,000 feet), establish a high cruise. Maintain a constant altitude, and after a constant airspeed is established, set the small reference airplane (or the “pip” of the reference airplane — it depends on the type of instrument you have) on the horizon bar. If you don’t rack the

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

airplane around a lot before you land and don’t hit the ground too hard, the small airplane should be at the right position when the airplane is sitting in the threepoint position on the ground. You can note the number of horizon bar widths that the reference is above the horizon bar and use that in setting the instrument on the ground. The chances are that you could be accurate enough by setting the wings of the small airplane in line with some of the reference marks on the sides of the instrument face. Your instructor probably will already have the setting.

Instrument Takeoff — Tailwheel Type After you’ve completed the pretakeoff check (covered in Chapter 10) and have received takeoff clearance, taxi to the center of the runway and line up with the center line. Taxi forward slightly to straighten the tailwheel and lock it if the airplane has such a control. Set the heading indicator on the runway heading and make sure that it is uncaged. Wake up the safety pilot. Hold the brakes and run up the engine(s) to a setting that will aid in rudder control, then release the brakes as you apply full power. Don’t shove the power on abruptly but open it smoothly all the way. Your copilot may “back you up on the throttle” by putting a hand behind them to make sure they don’t creep back and will also be the lucky one to look out at the runway and offer such helpful hints as “Dagnabit! Left! No, not so much,” etc., until you are ready to commit mayhem — if you could spare the time from the gauges. Here’s the place during your training where you’ll discover that even after quite a bit of experience with the old-fashioned type of heading indicator, you can still manage somehow to correct the wrong way for any heading deviations on the ITO. You and the safety pilot may have a brief scuffle as to who can exert the most pressure on the rudder pedals. Here’s where heading will be a most important factor. Maybe you’ve been a sloppy pilot and 5° of heading means nothing in the air. But if you are in the center of a 100-foot wide runway, a 5° error can put you off the edge before you go 600 feet. In addition to the fact that you may want to correct the wrong way at first, there will be the problem of overcorrecting. The heading sneaks off, and you, thinking of that deep rich mud alongside the runway, decide that there’ll be none of that, and enthusiastically apply too much opposite rudder; and the takeoff will resemble some of the first ones you ever made. On some of the older tailwheel twins, it is sometimes necessary to use asymmetric power to help keep them straight on the takeoff run before the rudder becomes effective (this is why you should add power before

4-35

releasing brakes). This contributes to overcontrolling, gives the pilot much more to think about, and is definitely not recommended as a technique unless everything else fails. As far as using brakes to keep straight is concerned — don’t. If your airplane is so tricky that brakes are required to keep it straight on the takeoff run, well, you’d be better off to forget about instrument takeoffs in it. We’ve mentioned the precession effects resulting if the tail is raised abruptly, so don’t shove it up. Allow the tail to come up, or assist slightly, so that the attitude of the airplane is that of a shallow climb. It is assumed that your airplane will have a static system that has an outlet on the fuselage or at the pitotstatic head. For some of the older and lighter trainers, the airspeed and altimeter (and vertical speed indicator, if available) had no static tubes but were open to the cabin. As speed picks up, the result is a drop in normal cabin (and instrument) static pressure. The airspeed will very likely read high, and the altimeter may show an altitude “jump,” even though you can still feel and hear the tires rolling on the runway. Fortunately, this type of setup is going the way of the helmet and goggles. Ground effect can induce instrument error by changing the airflow about the airplane. (This is speaking for the airplanes with static ports on the fuselage or a pitotstatic tube.) The result is that the airspeed and altimeter will tend to read low. This is, of course, a factor on the safe side. You may have noticed on VFR takeoffs that as the airplane lifted there seemed to be a sharp jump in airspeed and altitude. Some larger general aviation aircraft have a calibration graph for airspeed correction during the takeoff ground roll. An example: A rotation at 91 knots indicated airspeed is actually at 94.5 knots calibrated airspeed for one airplane. Ground effect may fool you into thinking the airplane is all set to climb out when that’s not the case. Remember that the airplane performs better in ground effect, and things might not be so great when you get a few feet of altitude. This is one time that you should assure yourself that you have sufficient flying speed before lift-off. In fact, it would be better to let the airplane lift itself off if you have established the proper attitude on the tail-up part of the run. As the airplane lifts off, establish a rate of climb. Do not ease the nose over to try to pick up the best rate of climb speed right away — you could overdo it and settle back in. One problem at this point is that the forces of acceleration (you’re picking up speed) work on some attitude indicators to give a slightly more nose-high reading than actually exists. You may lower the nose to get the “proper reading” and settle in. Of course, the

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attitude indicator can be used for wing attitude, but you would be better off to use the airspeed and altimeter (and heading indicator) for proper climb immediately after lift-off. Along this same line, you should allow 5 minutes (or more) after engine start for the vacuum/pressure gyros to build up to full efficiency. There have been fatal accidents because pilots started up and then took off almost immediately into zero-zero conditions with gyros that hadn’t gotten up to speed. (Whatever happened to using a checklist?) Taxiing and using a careful IFR checklist should take at least 5 minutes. Attain a safe altitude (at least 500 feet) before reducing power. You don’t need the distraction of changing power when you’re still getting used to the idea of being in the soup. Don’t retract the gear under 100 feet above the surface. Establish the proper climb speed and follow your instrument clearance.

Instrument Takeoff — Tricycle Gear As in VFR takeoffs, the nosewheel makes for more positive control and simplifies matters considerably. Naturally, you’ll taxi out and line up with the center line and move forward a few feet to straighten the nosewheel. As the airplane picks up airspeed, ease the nosewheel off and assume the normal takeoff attitude. (Be prepared for the need for more right rudder as the nosewheel lifts.) For the light twin it is recommended that the airplane not be lifted before VMC (minimum control speed — single engine) is attained. Don’t rush any airplane. The attitude of the airplane should be practically the same as that for the tailwheel type. As an example, consider the Cessna 180 and 182 models; they have the same maximum weight, wing areas, airfoils, and stall and takeoff speeds. In short, they are exactly alike except for the landing gear configuration, and as you know, the 180 is a tailwheel type and the 182 has a nosewheel. The attitudes at lift-off should be the same because for all practical purposes the airplanes are the same. You are interested during the latter part of the run in having the attitude that will allow the airplane to become airborne at the optimum time. If you keep the nosewheel on the ground or, in the tailwheel type, have the tail too high, you’ll waste runway. On the other hand, the takeoff will suffer if the tail is held too low on this part of the run. Start paying attention to the attitude indicator during VFR takeoffs. What is best for a clear day is also the best for a day when clouds are overhead — assuming that runway conditions, airplane weight, and other variables are the same. Figure 4-42 shows the steps for an instrument takeoff in a popular two-place trainer.

The Well-Balanced Pilot During the basic instrument part of your training you may first encounter the effects of spatial disorientation. (Turning or moving your head quickly while flying under the hood or on actual instruments is a good way to discover just what it is.) If you’ve always associated this with little old ladies who are a bit tiddly from sampling the cooking sherry, take a look at it from an instrument flying standpoint. Under normal situations, most of your balance depends on sight (sure, the other senses help too). The feel of gravity, for instance, helps you know which way is “up” or “down” under normal conditions. But what about the artificial gravity created by turns, pull-ups, and vertical gusts? Your body doesn’t know the difference unless sight helps to separate the “natural” from the “artificial” gravity. The fun houses in amusement parks are examples of how much the eyes have to do with equilibrium. The crazily angled walls make people forget the natural gravity force that all the “seat of the pants” pilots say they use. So your eyes can fool you too. Take autokinetic illusions, for instance. These five-dollar words mean that your eyes are telling you something that isn’t true. The military used to have night fighter pilot trainees move into a darkened room where only one very small bright light was visible. Various pilots would be asked to describe the various motions (“up, now it’s moving right,” etc.). The room lights were then turned on and they saw a permanently attached, stationary light on the opposite wall. Without other references, the involuntary movements of the eyes gave the illusion of movement of the light. Statements have been made by non-instrument pilots that they could fly in solid clouds without any flight instruments at all (or blindfolded — the choice of condition usually depended on how far the evening’s festivities had progressed). There’s no argument about that. They can fly in clouds without flight instruments — for quite a number of seconds sometimes (the length of time depends on how high the airplane was above the ground when the experiment started). Birds don’t fly in solid instrument conditions. (ATC records have no known case of a bird filing IFR, so this proves it.) At any rate, the inner ear is the place where most of the nonvisual balance sensations originate. They (nearly everybody has two) react to forces and couldn’t really care less about which way is “up” or “down” and are about as believable as the guest speaker at a Liar’s Convention.

Chapter 4 / Basic Instrument Flying

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Figure 4-42. Instrument takeoff for a particular two-place trainer (nosewheel). (A) Set the heading indicator when the airplane is taxied forward a few feet and lined up with the runway and apply full power smoothly, watching for heading deviations. (B) At 50 knots, the nose is raised to the first reference line (10°) and held there. Maintain the exact runway heading with the rudder. (C) At 65 knots the airplane will lift off. Maintain heading and watch for a tendency for the nose to pitch up as the airplane leaves ground effect. (D) Continue the climb-out at 65 knots (best rate of climb airspeed for this example airplane).

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Part One / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

What does spatial disorientation in flight feel like? It’s a feeling that all is not well. The instruments appear to be lying because your sensations tell you that you couldn’t be doing what they indicate. There may be a struggle in your mind, but always believe the instruments over your own sensations when outside visual references aren’t available. One instrument instructor noticed an instrument trainee leaning over to one side while flying under the hood. The student was doing a great job, the instructor remarked — but why the Tower of Pisa bit? The student answered that he knew the blank blank instruments were right so was flying by reference to them, but he felt more comfortable about the whole thing if he listed to starboard a little. You should be prepared for a different sensation when flying actual instruments compared to flying under the hood. First, flying actual instruments is easier in that you don’t have to twist your head as much as when under the hood — you have a much wider field of vision. On the other hand, there is the psychological effect of being “committed.” You’re in the soup and in the system and have to go on with it; there’s no taking off the hood and saying, “Well, I goofed on that last approach, didn’t I?” Sometimes the grayness (or blackness) outside creates the effect of the airplane rushing at greater than normal speeds, and at other times it seems you are hanging suspended and only the instruments’ indications show that you are moving at such and such an airspeed and altitude. These effects can be disquieting if you encounter them on one of your first actual IFR flights with a load of passengers and you are the only pilot on board. This is a good reason for getting as much flying in actual conditions as possible during your training for the rating. Something else to consider is that turbulence could be bad enough so that you could have trouble reading the instruments — you’ll be moving up and down so fast that they will be blurred, and this could also tend to induce vertigo. It could also tend to induce hyperventilation, a condition caused by too deep and/or rapid breathing resulting in an imbalance between the carbon dioxide and oxygen. When people are scared, they tend to hyperventilate.

Spatial disorientation can last a short while or an hour or more, depending on the situation and physical condition of the pilot. It’s a rather weird sensation when first encountered, but take a deep breath and settle down to doing a good job with the instruments. The cockpits of some airplanes, it seems, are designed to induce spatial disorientation, with widely separated radio equipment requiring twisting and/or quick head movements. Your instructor may try to induce it on one of your training flights to let you recognize it. Some pilots say they’ve never had it and probably haven’t. Familiarize yourself with the medical aspects of flying, such as hypoxia, hyperventilation, alcohol effects, carbon monoxide, spatial disorientation, aging, medicines that adversely affect flying, and especially fatigue. The Aeronautical Information Manual covers these areas. Fatigue has caused fatal accidents, particularly at night. The problem is that maybe after a full day’s work before flying and after fighting a long siege of weather en route, you are usually at your physical worst when the most alertness is needed for the approach. Your senses may lie to you more easily because of this fatigue. In short, when flying instruments, don’t trust your own sensations at all; take the indications of one instrument with a grain of salt; confirm what all the operating instruments combine to show.

Summary You should be able to have the airplane under complete control in any normal condition before attempting to add navigational and approach work to the basic instrument flying. Control of the airplane through the instruments must become practically second nature. Then, to be a completely qualified instrument pilot, you have to be proficient in doing other things, such as calculations for a revised ETA, flying airways and direct-to courses, taking and acknowledging clearance, making voice reports, and getting weather information — and the airplane won’t be waiting for you while you do so.

Part Two Navigation and Communications

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Navigational Aids and Instruments It’s likely that in your VFR flying you’ve been relying on radio navigation and have been keeping the sectional charts under the seat. However, you could always haul out a sectional chart and go on about your business should your GPS unit or VOR receiver quit on you. The following chapters are intended to tie in the gray areas of en route IFR navigation and the ATC system. Too many neophyte instrument pilots get submerged in details of the flight and neglect to look at the overall picture, which, believe it or not, is comparatively simple. You want to go from A to B. Under VFR conditions, you would plan your flight and go; you may or may not file a VFR flight plan — it’s up to you. Okay, so the weather is below VFR minimums, but the purpose of the flight is the same. You are still trying to get from A to B. Because of the weather, you’ll have to fly the airplane by reference to instruments. If you were the only person flying that day, you could, in theory anyway, hop in the plane and go — without worrying about other people — and could leave when you got ready and go the way you wanted to after picking an altitude to clear all obstacles en route. However, there are others who have the audacity to want to fly on the same day and even in the same area that you do. It’s those other guys who make IFR a little more complicated. Because separation between airplanes becomes a problem now that you can no longer “see and be seen,” you’ll have to follow predetermined paths, and the ground coordinators (ATC) will be interested in knowing your altitude (and may assign you a different one than you requested). ATC may even send you to B by a different route than the one you prefer — all because of those other people who want to fly at the same time you do. Victor (VOR) airways were established to allow the pilot to follow known routes with information available for safe altitude, using navigational aids within certain

reception distances. Nowadays, many IFR flights contain direct segments using RNAV. Before going on, it might be a good idea to review the radio frequency bands (Note: “Hertz” is used for “cycles per second” — kilohertz [kHz], megahertz [MHz], etc.; 1 kHz = 1,000 cycles per second, 1 MHz = 1,000 kHz): Very low frequency (VLF)...............10–30 kHz Low frequency (LF).......................30–300 kHz Medium frequency (MF)...........300–3,000 kHz High frequency (HF)........................ 3–30 MHz Very high frequency (VHF)......... 30–300 MHz Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF).... 300–3,000 MHz After going over ground-based navigation aids, GPS will be addressed.

Review of the VHF Omnirange (VOR) The VOR operates in the frequency range of 108.00– 117.95 MHz, which puts it close to the middle of the VHF band (30–300 MHz). It uses even-tenths frequencies (108.2, 108.4, 109.0, 109.2, etc.). The odd tenths in that area (108.1, 108.3, 111.1, etc.) are ILS localizer frequencies and will be covered later in this chapter. The frequencies in the 112.00–117.95 MHz range use all of the tenths, both odd and even (112.0, 112.1, 112.2 MHz, etc.). Some pilots have trouble at their first introduction to the radio in separating VHF and UHF from LF/MF, as far as reading the number in the Chart Supplement U.S. is concerned. The LF/MF frequencies are whole numbers (212, 332, etc.), while the VHF and UHF frequencies are always “point something” (112.3, 243.0). You would read the 112.3 as “one one two point three.” You’ll find that there won’t be any confusion between the frequency bands after you start using them. 5-1

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The kilohertz is the lowest whole-frequency measurement, so that 112.3 could not be LF/MF because this would be working with a part of a kilohertz. You won’t be using any frequencies as low as 112 kilohertz, since none of the LF/MF air frequencies are that low. So if it has a “point something,” it’s VHF or UHF. Following are the VOR class designations and expected ranges of each, as given by the AIM: Class of VOR, VOR/DME, or VORTAC T (terminal) L (low altitude) H (high altitude)

Altitude Range and Boundaries Up to and including 12,000 ft at radial distances out to 25 NM Up to 18,000 ft and including radial distances out to 40 NM Up to and including 14,500 ft AGL at radial distances out to 40 NM. From 14,500 ft AGL up to and including 60,000 ft at radial distances out to 100 NM. From 18,000 ft AGL up to and including 45,000 ft AGL at radial distances out to 130 NM

VOR Theory The VOR receiver in your airplane uses the principles of electronically measuring an angle. The VOR (ground equipment) puts out two signals; one is all-directional, and the other is a rotating signal. The all-directional signal contracts and expands 30 times a second, and the rotating signal turns clockwise at 30 revolutions/

Figure 5-1. VOR theory.

second. The rotating signal has a positive and a negative side. The all-directional or reference signal is timed to transmit at the same instant the rotating beam passes Magnetic North. These rotating beams and the reference signal result in radial measurements. Your VOR receiver picks up the all-directional signal. Some time later it picks up the maximum point of the positive rotating signal. The receiver electronically measures the time difference, and this is indicated in degrees as your magnetic bearing in relation to the station (Figure 5-1). For instance, assume it takes a minute (it actually takes 1⁄ 30 of a second) for the rotating signal to make one revolution. You receive the all-directional signal, and 45 seconds later you receive the rotating signal. This means that your position is 45⁄60 or ¾ of the way around. (Three-fourths of 360° is 270°, and you are on the 270° radial.) The VOR receiver does this in a quicker, more accurate way. Since the VOR operates to give you the airplane’s relative position to (or from) the station, based on Magnetic North, all directions on en route and approach charts and the directions given relative to various navigation aids on charts are magnetic. This saves extra figuring at a time when you might have your hands full. The aircraft VOR receiver presentation is made up of four main parts: (1) frequency selector; (2) omnibearing selector (OBS) calibrated from 0 to 360; (3) course deviation indicator (CDI), a vertical needle that moves left or right and indicates the relative position of the airplane to the selected omni radial; and (4) TOFROM indicator (Figure 5-2).

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

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1. ON/OFF/VOL control switch. Pull out for TEST; push in for automatic squelch. This ON/OFF switch is for both COMM and NAV but does not control the NAV volume. 2. COMM frequency transfer button. You are now talking on 118.90 MHz and have set up 126.00 (the next expected COMM frequency) on the right. When the time comes to switch to that new frequency, you’d push the transfer button and the standby frequency is now the frequency in use. Now 118.90 would be the standby frequency. (If you had needed to go back to the original 118.90 from 126.00 MHz, pressing the transfer button would have done that.) You would then set up the next expected COMM frequency on the standby and be ready for a quick switch as necessary. This saves a lot of time in last-minute frequency changing or having another COMM/NAV set standing by. 3. “T” (transmit), when lighted, indicates that the mike button is depressed. (How do you cheer up a depressed mike button?) 4. COMM frequency selector knobs (outer knob for whole MHz, inner for fractions, pull the inner for 25 KHz or 8.33 KHz).

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Figure 5-2 shows a combination communications and navigation arrangement:

Since the “radials” (there are 360 of them, or one for every degree) are fixed in reference to the ground, the airplane’s heading has no bearing on what radial it is on. However, in tracking to or from a VOR, it is best for the omni bearing selector of the simpler VOR receivers to be selected to the course to be followed, so that the left-right needle reads correctly. Figure 5-3 shows the radial idea.

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Figure 5-2. COMM/NAV “one and a half” set consisting of a two-way communications receiver on the left (the “one”) and a navigation and voice receiver on the right (the “half”). Two examples of VOR indicators are shown. Items (1)–(4) concern the transceiver (COMM) and (5)–(10) the VOR (NAV). (Courtesy of Bendix-King)

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5. VOL/IDENT switch. Pull for VOR identification; turn for NAV volume control. 6. NAV frequency transfer button. By pushing this, the VOR on 116.40 MHz becomes the station being used. 7. NAV frequency selector knobs. 8. Omni bearing selector (OBS). In both indicators the chosen bearing is North, but there are 360 radials to choose. 9. Course deviation indicator (CDI). The indicator on the left is a “windshield wiper” type, swinging left or right from the top attachment. The VOR receiver face on the right has rectilinear needle action; that is, the needle remains vertical as it moves left or right. Each dot or pip on the indicator represents deviation from the selected VOR radial, or center line of the ILS localizer, of 2° and ½° respectively. (More about the ILS later.) 10. TO-FROM indicators. On the presentation on the left TO-FROM would be indicated as applicable; on the right a white triangle would point to the applicable TO-FROM condition. (The faces shown are with the electrical power OFF.)

Figure 5-3. Both airplanes are on the 230 radial, but (A) is inbound (course 050°) and (B) is outbound (course 230°).

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Airplane A doesn’t have to select 050 on the OBS, but it’s a lot more reasonable to do this; otherwise, the needle would sense incorrectly. The needle is sensing correctly when it is pointing in the proper direction to get you on the selected radial. Turn and fly “toward the needle.” If the OBS of Airplane A was set at 230 and it drifted to the right of the course, the needle would be deflected to the right, implying that a right turn would be needed to get back on the original course — which is incorrect. To show that the heading of the airplane has nothing to do with the indications in the cockpit, take a look at Figure 5-4. The combination of needle, TO-FROM, and OBS merely gives you the airplane’s position relative to the station. You will get the indications shown in Figure 5-4A if you tune in the VOR and set the OBS to 050. Of course, the needle would soon leave the center in the cases where you are flying across the 230 radial, but at the particular instant of tuning, the indications would be as shown. The VOR and the cockpit indications are straightforward. They merely combine to state that the airplane is to fly a magnetic course of 050° to get TO the station. The VOR and your cockpit equipment couldn’t care less what your particular heading is at that instant. Although as soon as the airplane leaves the selected course, the needle will let you know about it. In Figure 5-4B the VOR and cockpit equipment are also doing their jobs. The airplane is on a bearing of 230° from the station, and that’s all the equipment is

6

Using the VOR for Cross Bearings The idea covered in the last section can be used to check whether you’ve passed a VOR intersection (there is another method also, which will be covered shortly). Look at Figure 5-8. You are flying along V-116, minding your own business, feeling satisfied that you’ve done your duty as an instrument pilot, having earlier given ATC an ETA

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supposed to tell. If you’re just passing by, then it’s only a matter of interest that your airplane is at that instant on a bearing of 230° magnetic from VOR “X.” Figure 5-5 shows what happens to an airplane that has the set tuned into a certain VOR and is trying to track inbound on the 230 radial (050° course). It has drifted to the right because of a northerly wind, and the indications are as shown. The needle is indicating that the selected radial is to the left. In Figure 5-6 the airplane is in the same situation, except that for some reason the pilot set in 230 on the OBS but plans to track into the station on a course of 050°. The needle seems to be giving you a bum steer. The VOR equipment in the airplane is still doing what it was designed to do — the pilot was the one who was out to lunch. If the pilot suddenly rotated the airplane to the heading set up on the OBS, the selected radial or course would be to the right (Figure 5-7). The cockpit indicators tell you that you are south of the selected line of flight to the VOR.

Figure 5-4. The heading of the airplane has nothing to do with the cockpit indications. In (A) the OBS has been set to 050 and the TO-FROM indicator says TO. In (B) the OBS has been set to 230 and the TO-FROM indicator says FROM.

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

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Figure 5-6. The indications of the cockpit equipment for the same airplane position and heading as in Figure 5-5 but with the OBS set on 230, or reverse to the course to be flown.

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Figure 5-7. The selected radial is to the right. Note that the needle did not move within the instrument, or it still has the same relative position to the pilot.

Figure 5-8. Have you passed the VOR intersection in question?

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

5-7

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Figure 5-9. Cockpit indications when checking for HECTO intersection.

In your mind’s eye, turn the airplane (at your present position) to a heading of 120°, and look at the needle on Set 2. It’s to the left, so the radial making up the intersection is to the left — and you have not passed it (Figure 5-10). The needle is “pointing” to the radial in question. If you had set in 300, the same answer would be given (you haven’t reached the intersection yet), but the presentation would be a little different, as shown in Figure 5-11. In Figure 5-11 the needle is still “pointing” to the reference line (radial). One tip for this technique: If the station being used for the cross bearing is “ahead of the wing tip” of the airplane, use the TO indication (turn the OBS to the

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for WIN, and everything is OK. (Use a lot of initials in your talk around the hangar; it’ll drive VFR pilots crazy PDQ.) Assume here that you aren’t in radar contact and so have to keep up with and report your positions — a rare instance in today’s radar coverage, but this is an example that could happen. Anyway, ATC asks, in a tone of voice that implies you have been extremely remiss, if you have passed HECTO intersection. Looking at the chart, you see HECTO and figure that you are somewhere in that area but can’t be sure whether you’ve passed it yet. (Your mind is going like a squirrel in a cage, trying to remember if previous clearances had mentioned anything about reporting at HECTO. Forget it; at this point you’d better find out whether you’ve passed it or not — and as soon as possible.) You tune in PAL (Palmyra VOR) on the other VOR receiver — and identify it. Notice that the 300 radial of PAL intersects your airway, forming the intersection in question. You set up the OBS to 120; the bearing TO the station (from HECTO) and the cockpit indications look like those shown in Figure 5-9. Set 1 shows that you are right on course to Winchester, as you are supposed to be, but what about HECTO intersection?

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Figure 5-10. The needle indicates that the radial is to the left on the imaginary heading of 120°, hence ahead of the airplane on the real heading.

5-8

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

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Figure 5-11. The OBS has been set at 300 (Palmyra) and the TO-FROM indicator says FROM. The airplane is “turned” to a 300° heading.

bearing that would give a TO) and then look at the needle and “turn” the airplane in your mind. If it’s behind the wing tip (dashed VOR and radial), use the cross bearing that would give the “FROM” indication. This would mean that you would not have to “turn” the airplane so far in your mind. If you had passed the intersection, the needle would show the opposite indications (to the right in Figure 5-10 and left in Figure 5-11). Perhaps you don’t like the idea of “turning” the airplane in your mind, so a quicker way would be to always set the actual radial for the cross-bearing VOR or for the bearing to the intersection FROM the station. If the VOR’s relative position to your heading and the needle indication jibe, then you haven’t reached the intersection (the cross-bearing VOR station is to your right as you fly the course line — whether ahead or behind — and if the needle is to the right, you haven’t reached the intersection). Naturally, if the VOR is to the left and the needle is to the left, you haven’t reached the intersection either. So tune the cross-bearing VOR and rotate the OBS to the outbound bearing from the VOR to the intersection as given on the chart. If the relative position of the VOR to your course line and the needle position match, then you haven’t reached the intersection. If they don’t match, you’ve passed it (Figure 5-12). Of course, it’s easiest to have distance measuring equipment (DME) or RNAV in the airplane and just read whether you have reached the intersection. (If the intersection is 17 miles on this side of the VORTAC ahead and the DME is indicating 20 miles, you still have 3 miles to go.) DME will be covered shortly.

Time-to-Station Work One problem used in getting familiar with VOR operations is the estimation of the required time to fly to a VOR off a wing tip. You’ll find that, for a certain period of time, flying “perpendicular” to the course to the VOR, a certain time longer is required to reach the station after turning inbound to it. (You recall from your trigonometry that the ratio of two legs of a right triangle can be found readily if the angle is known.) You will fly through an angle of either 10° or 20° and will have a fixed multiple of the time required in either case (6 and 3 respectively). Figure 5-13 shows the principle involved. Suppose you want to find your distance (time) to the station in Figure 5-13. You would tune the VOR and center the needle with the TO-FROM indicator showing TO. Figure 5-13A shows your relative position to the station. You would then turn the airplane to the nearest heading that would put that bearing 10° ahead of the wing tip. In the example, your original heading is 045°, so a right turn is in order. You would turn right to a heading of 090°. (You would see that this would put the station at a relative bearing of 080°, or 10° ahead of the right wing tip.) You would fly the 090° heading and make a note of the time that the needle was centered. Then you would rotate the OBS to get a new bearing 180° TO. (The needle is no longer centered because you aren’t at the newly selected radial yet.) You would hold the heading of 090° until the needle is centered again (point B) and make a note of the time. The elapsed time multiplied by 6 would give the time required to fly to the

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

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Figure 5-12. After setting up outbound bearings from the cross-bearing VORs, if the relative position of the needle and station match, the intersection has not been reached (station left, needle left, intersection not reached and vice-versa).

VOR from point B. If it took 1 minute and 20 seconds to fly from A to B, the time required to fly to the station would be 6 × 1⅓ or 8 minutes. If you timed the flight from A to C (20°), the multiplier would be 3. (It should take 2 minutes and 40 seconds. and 3 × 2 ⅔ = 8 minutes to the station.) Note that the multiplier and the number of degrees flown are a function of the number 60. If you fly only 10° of arc, the multiplier is 6 (6 × 10 = 60). If you fly 20° of arc, the multiplier is 3 (3 × 20 = 60). In theory, if you flew 30° of arc, the multiplier would be 2 (2 × 30 = 60); but 20° is plenty, and 10° works closely enough and saves time in actual practice. Or you may prefer to remember: “For each 10 seconds it takes to make a 10° change, you are 1 minute from the station.” (If at a great distance out, you may use “each 5 seconds for 5° equals 1 minute from the station.”) In no-wind conditions the estimate of time to the VOR should be reasonably accurate, but with a wind, the inbound leg could be affected. Wind from any direction or velocity at your altitude will affect the accuracy of the estimate. You can actually track around a VOR and approach the station from any given direction. Under no-wind conditions the airplane (in theory) would remain a constant distance from the VOR — this is assuming that you made perfect corrections for the different compass deviation errors for different headings and that you flew those headings right on the button. There are VOR/ DME approaches that use this basic principle of tracking around the station, and the DME is a great aid in

assuring that the proper radius is maintained. (This will be discussed shortly.) In this day of radar, ADS-B, and GPS, the idea of tracking around a station using only VOR (no DME) is academic. But as a training maneuver, it can serve in keeping you alert while flying the airplane and doing calculations at the same time. Looking back at Figure 5-13, at point C the heading would be changed 20° to the right and the OBS set to 210. When the needle centers, another 20° right turn is made and 20° is added to the OBS selection. This is done until the airplane is on the desired radial for turning in. (It may work out that you’ll have to cut one of the segments short when the radial is reached.) The amount of needle lead for a turn into the station depends on your distance from it. Normally 5°, or when the needle is deflected about ½ to one side (to the left in this case), is used as a lead. However, it really depends on the rate of needle movement, which is a function of your distance from the VOR. If you were 60 miles out, 5° would mean a 5-mile lead for a 90° standard-rate turn. For the airplanes you’ll be flying, this will be too much. You can check groundspeed en route by cross bearings and probably have been doing so in your VFR flying. The drawback to this is a lack of accuracy in the airplane and/or ground equipment. As will be covered later, you could have up to 6° error in your airplane equipment, as checked, and still be OK for instrument flying.

5-10

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

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Figure 5-13. Principles of time-to-station calculations. The “10°” angles have been exaggerated.

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Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

5-11

You would make a 10° turn to either the left or right (left in this case) and reset the OBS 10° to the right (or 10° greater, that is, 090°). You were originally tracking on an inbound bearing of 080°, as shown by Figure 5-14. With a crosswind you were holding some heading other than the inbound bearing. At any rate, change the heading 10° (to the left in this case). Fly that heading until the needle centers on the OBS selection of 090°; that is the completion of Leg 1. In theory and in nowind conditions, Leg 1 should be the exact length (and time) as Leg 2. When the needle centers, the time into the station is the same as that required to fly the first leg. You can see, for instance, that a wind perpendicular to your original course could make a slight difference in the times on the two legs. These two procedures are good training aids for improving the instrument scan and VOR use but are all but gone in practical use today. 14 CFR §91.171(a–d) covers the tolerances of the airborne omni equipment as follows:

You may also check the time to a station by turning either way 90° to your course and finding the time required to fly through 5°, 10°, or 20° of arc. (If using 5°, the multiplier is 12.) The disadvantages of this are obvious. Supposedly, you are on an assigned Victor airway. This requires that you leave the center line of the assigned airway and mosey off into other people’s airspace, particularly if you are some distance from the VOR (Victor airways extend 4 NM out from the center line or are 8 NM wide). This technique could cause a great deal of interest down at the ARTCC radar console. For Victor airway navigation in the United States, you’ll be a lot better off to take a cross bearing, get an approximate distance to the station, and (if you haven’t had a groundspeed check) use your true airspeed and estimated wind to make a time estimate to the station. (VOR radial errors should be just about the same for only a 10° difference in selection.) Another time check that may be used, though not particularly practical for operations on assigned airways, is called “double the angle off the bow,” a term more descriptive when applied to the automatic direction finder than to the VOR — but the principle is the same in both cases. Basically. you will fly two legs of an isosceles (two equal sides) triangle. Assume you are flying to a VOR on an inbound bearing of 080°. Figure 5-14 shows the procedure. You may make the turn in either direction.

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VOR equipment check for IFR operations: (a) No person may operate a civil aircraft under IFR using the VOR system of radio navigation unless the VOR equipment of that aircraft —  (1) Is maintained, checked, and inspected under an approved procedure; or (2) Has been operationally checked within the preceding 30 days, and was found to be within the limits

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Figure 5-14. The “double the angle off the bow” method of estimating time to the station.

VOR 10°

5-12

of the permissible indicated bearing error set forth in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section. (b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, each person conducting a VOR check under subparagraph (a)(2) of this section shall —  (1) Use, at the airport of intended departure, an FAA-operated or approved test signal or a test signal radiated by a certificated and appropriately rated radio repair station or, outside the United States, a test signal operated or approved by appropriate authority, to check the VOR equipment (the maximum permissible indicated bearing error is plus or minus 4 degrees); (2) Use, at the airport of intended departure, a point on an airport surface designated as a VOR system checkpoint by the Administrator or, outside the United States, by appropriate authority (the maximum permissible bearing error is plus or minus 4 degrees); (3) If neither a test signal nor a designated checkpoint on the surface is available; use an airborne checkpoint designated by the Administrator or, outside the United States, by appropriate authority (the maximum permissible bearing error is plus or minus 6 degrees); or (4) If no check signal or point is available, while in flight —  (i) Select a VOR radial that lies along the centerline of an established VOR airway; (ii) Select a prominent ground point along the selected radial preferably more than 20 nautical miles from the VOR ground facility and maneuver the aircraft directly over the point at a reasonably low altitude; and (iii) Note the VOR bearing indicated by the receiver when over the ground point (the maximum permissible variation between the published radial and the indicated bearing is 6 degrees). (c) If dual system VOR (units independent of each other except for the antenna) is installed in the aircraft, the person checking the equipment may check one system against the other in place of the check procedures specified in paragraph (b) of this section. He shall tune both systems to the same VOR ground facility and note the indicated bearings to that station. The maximum permissible variation between the two indicated bearings is 4 degrees. (d) Each person making the VOR operational check as specified in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section shall enter the date, place, bearing error, and sign the aircraft log or other record.

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

In addition, if a test signal radiated by a repair station, as specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, is used, an entry must be made in the aircraft log or other record by the repair station certificate holder or his representative certifying to the bearing transmitted by the repair station for the check and the date of transmission. Note that the tolerance for ground checking is ±4° and that for an airborne check is ±6°. The Chart Supplements U.S. list VOR receiver airborne and ground checkpoints for various facilities. The VOR test facility (VOT) transmits a test signal that gives the VOR user an accurate method of testing a receiver(s) on the ground. The airports with a VOT have the frequency listed in the Chart Supplements U.S. with the other information pertaining to VOR checkpoints. When the receiver is tuned to the proper frequency and the needle centered by use of the OBS, it should indicate 0° when the TO-FROM needle indicates FROM or 180° when the TO-FROM indicator says TO. (A good way to remember is “Cessna 182” or 180-TO.) The deviation from these figures is the error of the aircraft equipment. Some VOTs are identified by a continuous series of dots, while others use a continuous tone. An RMI/VOR receiver (covered later in the chapter) will indicate 180° on any OBS setting when you use a VOT. The ground station accuracy is generally ±1°, but roughness is sometimes present, particularly in mountainous terrain. You may observe a brief left-right needle oscillation, such as would be expected as an indication of approaching the station. Always use the TO-FROM indicator as an assurance of passing the station, rather than assuming you’re there when the needle suddenly pegs to one side. A problem that sometimes occurs with the airborne equipment is that at certain prop rpm settings, the leftright needle (or, more technically, the course deviation indicator, CDI) may fluctuate as much as ±6°. A slight change in rpm will straighten out this problem (which, incidentally, can occur in helicopters as well). If you are having this sort of trouble, try the rpm change before casting aspersions on the veracity of your set (don’t wreck it until you check it) or the ground station. The Chart Supplements U.S. contain the latest information on possible VOR problems. For instance, you could find that the VOR portion of the Pulaski (Va.) VORTAC is unusable in the area 206–216° beyond 5 NM below 5,000 feet, and the 268–288° azimuth is unusable beyond 8 NM at all altitudes.

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

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1. The lubber line has the same function as that of heading indicators. 2. The NAV warning flag shows whenever an unusable VOR or localizer signal is being received. 3. The heading select bug set by the knob (7) as a reference for heading or as a part of the coupling to an autopilot or flight director. 4. The glide slope pointers drop into view when a usable glide slope signal is being received. 5. The symbolic aircraft is a fixed representation of the actual aircraft and always points to the top of the display and lubber line. 6. The deviation bar (CDI), like the needle in an older VOR display, is displaced to indicate the relative position of the selected course. 7. The heading select knob. 8. The deviation scale. When on VOR frequencies each dot represents 2° deviation; on localizer frequencies each is ½° deviation. In RNAV approach

NAV 4. Dual glideslope pointers

30

The HSI is an improvement over the straight VOR/ILS indicator in that the heading indicator and VOR/ILS (including glide slope) are combined in one display. It can also be displayed as part of a glass cockpit system with the added benefit of showing magnetic track (see Figure 2-33, item 14). Figure 5-15 is a sample display with a description of the various functions:

13. Selected course pointer

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Always identify the station either by its Morse code identifier or by the code and automatic voice identifier. Don’t identify, for instance. the Palmyra VOR just by hearing (on a VOR frequency) somebody in an FSS saying something about “Palmyra radio, etc.” Remember that many FSSs operate several remote VORs, and none may carry the name of the controlling facility. If the VOR is down for maintenance, the code, or code and voice, is removed. The VOR receiver may indicate periodically, but if you don’t hear the continuous identifier, don’t trust it. Some facilities may radiate a T-E-S-T code ( —  • • • •  — ), or the identification code may be removed during the periods of maintenance. Remember, too, that being VHF, the VOR only operates line of sight. If you are too low, it will have a warning flag showing. It’s suggested you get copies of the AIM and carefully read the section that goes into detail on use of the VOR. In fact, if you plan on flying IFR, you should subscribe to that publication. It will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 8.

1. Lubber line

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8. VOR/LOC/RNAV deviation scale

11. Glideslope deviation scale 10. Course select knob 9. Compass card

Figure 5-15. Horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and display functions. The heading indicator portion may be free or slaved to a remote magnetic compass system.

mode the scale is ¼ NM per dot; in RNAV “en route,” the scale is 1 NM per dot. 9. Compass card with the same function as a slaved or free heading indicator. 10. Course select knob (or OBS). 11. Glide slope deviation scale. References for the relative position of the glide slope. 12. The TO-FROM indicator. (The arrowhead is adjacent to the lubber line for TO and away from it for FROM.) 13. The selected course pointer. 14. Compass warning flag. This is indicated whenever the electrical power is inadequate or the heading indicator is not up to speed. Figure 5-16 shows the HSI indications during a flight from Charles B. Wheeler Downtown (MKC) at Kansas City, Missouri to Creve Coeur Airport (1H0) near Saint Louis Missouri via V-12. Winds aloft are from the north: 1. After take-off a heading of 060° is used to intercept the planned 110° inbound course to Napoleon VOR (ANX 114.0). 2. The CDI is centering and the plane is turning to join the 110° course (290 radial inbound) to ANX with an estimated wind correction of 5° left (heading bug 105°). 3. The TO becomes FROM as ANX is overflown and the course pointer is adjusted to the outbound course to FRANC intersection, 088°. 4. On course for FRANC, the heading is 080° to correct for the left crosswind.

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Figure 5-16. Use of the HSI during a flight from Kansas City (MKC) to St. Louis (STL). The display information (1–8) matches the positions as shown by the arrows (1–8). The arrows show the approximate position and heading at each point discussed.

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5-14 Part Two / Navigation and Communications

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Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

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Figure 5-17. A holding pattern at St. Louis VORTAC with the HSI indications shown at four positions. (1) You’re cleared to hold southwest of the VORTAC on the 244 radial, right turns. You’re now over the station with a 064° course selected (the TO-FROM indicator has just flipped to FROM). Set the heading bug to 244 for reference and start the right turn. (2) Halfway through the outbound turn the deviation bar is behind the symbolic airplane, indicating that you will eventually have to fly back to that radial in order to be on course during the inbound leg. (3) Outbound. The heading bug is still set at 244° as a reference. That radial is off the wing and parallel to the outbound course. (More about wind drift correction in the holding pattern in Chapter 12.) (4) Halfway through the turn to the inbound 064° course the symbolic airplane is “approaching” the deviation bar at a right angle. (The reference heading bug has been reset to 064). By keeping the top of the deviation bar on the lubber line as you continue to turn, you can complete the turn and roll out on course. (Courtesy of Bendix-King)

5. Approaching FRANC, the CDI is adjusted to the 109° inbound course to Columbia (COU 110.2). FRANC can be identified by DME (60 NM from ANX or 32 NM from COU) or a crossing radial, R-198, from Macon VOR (MCM 112.9) to the north. 6. Passing over COU (TO becomes FROM), the course pointer is set to the 093°, V-12 outbound from COU. 7. Near the midway point of this 59 NM leg, change the VOR frequency to Foristell (FTZ 110.8) and set the course pointer to 092°, the inbound course (272°– 180° = 092°). 8. As FTZ is approached, the V-12 outbound course of 082° is set and a slight left turn is made. You are

21 NM from SNYDR intersection and Creve Coeur airport. Figure 5-17 is a holding pattern with HSI indications at four points in the process.

VOR Receiver Antennas In order to know some of the characteristics of your VOR receiver (and other radio equipment), you should know the locations of the antennas and which item of electronic gear uses which antenna. For instance, for airplanes with two transceivers, one of the communications antennas may be on top of the fuselage and the other on the bottom. When the airplane is sitting on the ground, the set with the bottom antenna may be

5-16

blanketed out and unusable as far as contacting ground control is concerned. The top antenna may be in a bad spot for communications directly over a facility. Figure 5-18 shows some VOR receiver antenna types and probable locations on an airplane.

Figure 5-18. Types of VOR and communications antennas. (A) Broadband communications antenna (118–136 MHz). (B) VOR/LOC antenna is combined with a (C) broadband communications antenna. (D) VOR/LOC antennas. There are too many different models and types to show them here, but you should know which of the antennas on your airplane go to what radio and discuss with your instructor the possible weaknesses of each.

Figure 5-19. Sample of a VORTAC frequency pairing plan.

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) DME is a UHF facility operating in the range from 962 to 1,213 MHz. While the ground equipment is normally located at the VOR site (this is not the case for certain military installations), it’s a separate piece of gear. Basically, it works this way: When you select the station on your DME, the airborne equipment sends out paired pulses at a specific spacing (interrogation). The ground station equipment wakes up and transmits paired pulses back to the aircraft on a different frequency and pulse spacing. The time required for the round trip is read as distance (nautical miles) from the aircraft to the station. (Since the pulses are moving at the speed of light — 161,000 NM/second — you can imagine about how little time it takes to make a round trip of, say, 20 NM.) VORTAC is a combination of two facilities, VOR and TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation). TACAN, used by the military, provides both distance and azimuth information on UHF frequencies for the aircraft with the proper equipment installed. Your equipment is able to pick up the distance information part of TACAN, but you’ll use the VOR for azimuth information. For each VOR frequency at VORTAC facilities, there is an associated TACAN channel for distance information. For instance, all VORTACs with the VOR portion having a frequency of 112.2 MHz have TACAN channel 59 (and that UHF frequency) associated with

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

5-17

them. Current DME uses this idea, and the DME frequency selector is set up as 112.2 rather than having a separate channel selector operating in the 962–1,213 MHz (UHF) range. When you select 112.2 on the DME, you are actually selecting the proper UHF frequency and don’t need to know what it is (Figure 5-19). On the en route low-altitude chart, the facilities having VORTAC are indicated as shown in Figure 5-19. Basically speaking, on the FAA Aeronautical Information Services (FAA-AIS) low-altitude en route chart, if a channel number is given with the VOR frequency box, you can use DME equipment with that VOR facility (it’s a VORTAC). Of course, you can also learn this by looking at the symbol in the center of the VOR rose as shown in Figure 5-19. The quickest way is just to see if a channel is given. Each FAA-AIS chart has a legend that explains the symbols. This will be covered later. The DME equipment in the airplane measures the distance direct to the station or gives the slant range. If you are flying at an altitude of 6,080 feet above the VORTAC, your distance indicator will never show less than a mile, even though you pass directly over the station, because you never get closer than 1 NM (6,080 feet) to it. Figure 5-20 shows this idea. You will note in Figure 5-20 that at a distance of 5 miles the lateral (or ground) distance is 4.9 miles. At a 2-mile indication, the lateral distance to the station is about 1.72 miles. Okay, so an error exists, but you and the controller will always base reports and clearances on what the distance indicator says. The error becomes very small at distances greater than 10 miles and is ignored. (The error also depends on altitude above the station as well as the distance out.) Don’t depend on the B. Distance is indicated as 1 mile, lateral distance zero

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s

Figure 5-21. Distance measuring equipment (DME) showing distance to the station, groundspeed, and minutes to the station. The top indicator shows that it is set to the NAV 1 (N1) set. (The bottom indicator is a slaved set that may be used for indications on the copilot’s side.) The “hold” setting keeps the DME on the last selected frequency even though the NAV frequency selectors are subsequently changed. (Courtesy of Bendix-King)

6,080 feet

A. Distance is indicated as 5 miles, lateral distance is 4.9 miles

DME for station passage information; use your VOR TO-FROM indicator. DME equipment has the capability of reading off the distance from the selected VORTAC (in nautical miles), minutes to the station, and groundspeed. Figure 5-21 shows a DME receiver with these capabilities. This equipment can be used with area navigation (RNAV). The DME uses a small antenna that weighs about one-fourth pound. It’s located underneath the fuselage, usually in the center section area (Figure 5-22). DME

4.9 nautical miles

Figure 5-20. The DME measures the distance direct to the VORTAC (slant range). The airplane at Point A would report its position as 5 miles (even if exact ground distance was calculated).

Figure 5-22. DME antenna types. Check with your instructor for the type and location of DME antennas on your airplane.

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Figure 5-23. Using the DME (and VOR receiver) to fly an arc from V7 around to the final approach course for a VOR approach to Runway 29 at Muscle Shoals (arrow). Without this convenience, the airplane would have to be flown to the VOR and back out on Radial 111 to make a procedure turn, then inbound, taking up much more time to do the approach. Note that, while on the arc, you are protected for obstacle clearance at 2,400 feet MSL, even though you are below the 2,700 foot MSA.

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identification is the Morse Code of the station, but at a higher pitch (more shrill) than the VOR identifier. There are usually 3–4 VOR identifiers broadcast for each DME identifier. If all you hear is a shrill ID every 30 seconds or so, the VOR is OTS (out of service), but the DME is usable. DME ARCs Figure 5-23 is an approach chart for Muscle Shoals (MSL) VOR 29 approach showing a 7 DME arc, instead of a procedure turn, when approaching from the southeast on V7 (R-153 of the Muscle Shoals VOR). Assuming at first a no-wind condition, you would start the procedure by tracking inbound on the R-153 (inbound bearing 333°), and as the DME (set on MSL) approaches 7 miles (the lead would depend on the groundspeed), a turn is made to a heading of 063° (90° right turn). The VOR is set to 323° TO (the needle is deflected to the right) and the airplane flown until the needle is again centered. A 10° turn to the left is made to 053° and the OBS reset to 313°. The airplane flies two more 10° segments after this until the needle centers at 293° (or the last segment may be 2° to get lined up on the 291° inbound track). You would lead the turn based on the VOR needle movement rate. You would constantly monitor the DME as you tracked around and would turn a few degrees toward the station if the DME started to indicate more than 7 miles and would turn away on a segment or segments if the distance started to decrease from 7 miles. Figure 5-24 shows in more detail the steps in moving from V7 to the 7 NM DME arc and the turn inbound. Some approach charts to localizer or ILS approaches have “lead radials” to be used as a reference for turning into the facility; this is particularly useful for an airplane with only one VOR/LOC receiver. A turn lead of 5° might be considered a reasonable figure to start with for the type of airplanes you’ll initially be flying. Figure 5-25 is a VOR/DME approach chart for Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Figure 5-26 is the VOR/ DME-A approach to Oneida, Tennessee.

ADF Work and NDB Approaches Although there are still a few NDB approaches published, they are disappearing at a high rate. Visit the Reader Resource page for this book at www.asa2fly.com/reader/fminst to learn about Low and Medium Frequency NAVAIDs if you’re flying an airplane with an NDB or RMI and/or will be flying ADF approaches.

Figure 5-24. Steps in flying a (no-wind) DME arc from V7 to make a straight-in instrument approach to the Muscle Shoals Airport Runway 29. (A) As the airplane approaches the 7-NM DME point on R-153 (V7), the airplane is turned to a heading of 063° and the 0BS set to 323 TO. (B) As the needle centers, the airplane is turned 10° left (to 053°) and the 0BS is set to 313 TO. (C) As the needle centers, a 10° left turn is made to 043°, and the 0BS is set to 303 TO. (D) When the needle centers on the 303 setting, set in 291 TO to make a 10° left turn. (E) Use enough lead so that the airplane completes the turn to 291° on R-111. Note that this last segment was 12°, rather than 10° like the first three. Usually, 10° is the angle used in tracking around the station, although smaller angles would give more accuracy (and take more time and effort than is practicable).

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SE-4, 20 JUN 2019 to 18 JUL 2019

SE-4, 20 JUN 2019 to 18 JUL 2019

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Figure 5-25. The VOR/DME RWY 11 at Muscle Shoals, Alabama. BRADS intersection is on V54, part of the sample MEM–BNA flight. More details on FAA Aeronautical Information Services approach charts and approaches will be covered in Chapters 8 and 13.

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SE-1, 20 JUN 2019 to 18 JUL 2019

SE-1, 20 JUN 2019 to 18 JUL 2019

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

Figure 5-26. The VOR/DME-A to Oneida, Tennessee, has an arc with an unusual outward turn to the airport. The “A” label means the inbound course is more than 30° from the runway centerline, so only circling minimums are published.

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Instrument Landing System (ILS)

Localizer

The ILS is the backbone of the approach aids and allows the pilot not only to fly a precise course to the runway but also to fly a precise descent, which allows for lower landing minimums than for VOR, NDB, or most RNAV approaches. Figure 5-27 shows the ILS components: Localizer — Course information. Glide slope (glide path) — Descent information. Marker beacon (if installed) — position, upon passing. In addition, special approach lighting is part of the system. VHF Localizer Provides horizontal guidance 108.10 to 111.95 MHz. Radiates about 100 watts horizontal polarization. Modulation frequencies 90 to 150 Hz. Modulation depth on course 20% for each frequency. Code identification (1020 Hz, 5%) and voice communication (modulated 50%) provided on same channel.

ILS (FAA Instrument Landing Systems) Standard Characteristics and Terminology ILS approach charts should be consulted to obtain variations of individual systems. 1,000' typical. Localizer transmitter building is offset 250' minimum from center of antenna array and within 90° ±30° from approach end. Antenna is on centerline and normally is under 50/1 clearance plane.

Point of intersection runway and glide slope extended.

Runway length 7,000' (typical) 250' to 500' from centerline of runway Sited to provide 55' (±5') runway threshold crossing height

The localizer transmitter is located at the far end of the ILS runway and operates on the odd VHF frequencies between 108.0 and 112.0 (or, more properly, from 108.10 through 111.95 MHz). You remember that the even frequencies in that frequency range are used by VORs. The localizer signal emitted is adjusted to produce an angular width of between 3° and 6° as necessary to provide a linear width of approximately 700 feet at the runway threshold. Five degrees is considered “standard.” The transmitter sends two signal patterns, one modulated at 90 Hz and the other at 150 Hz. When the

Outer Marker Provides final approach fix for non-precision approach Modulation 400 Hz, 95%

Middle Marker Indicates approximate decision height point Modulation 1,300 Hz, 95% Keying: 95 alternate dot & dash combinations/minute

Keying: Two dashes/second

Amber Light

Blue Light

Localizer modulation frequency 90 Hz 150 Hz

3,000' to 6,000' from threshold

UHF Glide Slope Transmitter Provides vertical guidance 329.3 to 335.0 MHz. Radiates about 5 watts. Horizontal polarization, modulation on path 40% for 90 Hz and 150 Hz. The standard glide slope angle is 3.0 degrees. It may be higher depending on local terrain.

Flag indicates if facility not on the air or receiver malfunctioning

Approximately 1.4° width (full scale limits)

150 Hz 90 Hz Glide slope modulation frequency

0.7° (approx.)

Outer marker located 4 to 7 miles from end of runway, where glide slope intersects the procedure turn (minimum holding) altitude, 50' vertically. Rate of Descent Chart (feet per minute) Speed (Knots) 90 110 130 150 160

Angle 2.5°

2.75°

3°

400 485 575

440 535

475 585 690

665 707

630 730 778

795 849

3° above horizontal (optimum)

All marker transmitters approximately 2 watts of 75 MHz modulated about 95%. Compass locators, rated at 25 watts output 190 to 535 KHz, are installed at many outer and some middle markers. A 400 Hz or a 1020 Hz tone, modulating the carrier about 95% is keyed with the first two letters of the ILS identification on the outer locator and the last two letters on the middle locator. At some locations, simultaneous voice transmissions from the control tower are provided, with appropriate reduction in identification percentage.

Course width varies between 3° to 6° tailored to provide 700' at threshold (full scale limits)

* Figures marked with asterisk are typical. Actual figures vary with deviations in distances to markers, glide angles and localizer widths.

Figure 5-27. The instrument landing system components. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

30

W 24

12

21

21 21

E

12

24

W

30

21

S

N 3

15

3

30

33

21

12

3

15

6

33

3

21

S

E

30

W

N

S W

6

24

S

N

12

3

15 24

15

N

3

15

S

30

E

W

6

24

12

N

E

33

21

6

12

33

30

33

N

S

W

24

S

33

YELLOW

Figure 5-28. An older-type VOR presentation. Approaching on the front course of the localizer, the indication is that the airplane is in the blue (150-Hz) “right-hand” sector and a correction to the left is needed to get back on the center line. On a back course, on final approach, the needle is indicating that the airplane is in the 150-Hz sector but the pilot would have to correct against the needle to get to the center line. In both cases the airplane is on the same geographic side of the center line (in the 150-Hz or blue sector).

12

E

15

BLUE

15

6

3

E

E

6

N

33

6

airplane is at a position where these patterns have an equal signal strength, it is on an extension of the center line of the runway, and the localizer needle (the same needle used for VOR work) is centered. If the pilot is on the proper heading to keep the needle centered, the airplane will remain on the line down the center of the runway. Older VOR heads (indicators) were divided into blue (150 Hz) and yellow (90 Hz), and the localizers on approach charts are still marked with shaded (150 Hz) and clear (90 Hz) sectors. Later VOR heads don’t show the colors (Figure 5-28). The 150-Hz (blue) area is to the right of the center line for the airplane approaching on the “front” or normal course. (Obviously, this leaves the 90-Hz, or yellow, sector on the left.) The localizer course extends on in the opposite direction, and this portion may be used for a “back course approach” (Figure 5-29). For the airplane approaching on the back course, the 150-Hz (blue) sector will be on the left. You’ll note on your older VOR head that the blue is on the left side of the face and the yellow is on the right. The needle always indicates the color of the sector the airplane is in. If the airplane is on the front course, you correct toward the needle, as would be expected. Look at Airplane A in Figure 5-29. It’s over in the 150-Hz (blue) sector, and the needle shows this. The needle also indicates that the center line is to the left. Airplane B is in the 90-Hz (yellow) sector, and the needle gives

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24

W

30

Figure 5-29. The ILS localizer. The setting of the omnibearing selector has no effect on the needle indications when the set is tuned to a localizer frequency. However, many pilots set up the published inbound course on the OBS as a quick reminder of the base course when on approach.

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this news (and indicates that a correction to the right is needed). Airplane C is right on the center line (at least temporarily). Looking at the back course, Airplane D is to the left of the center line and in the 150-Hz (blue) sector. The needle is to the left. But on a back course inbound you correct opposite to the needle. Airplane E is to the right of the center line and would have to correct left, away from the needle. Airplane F is, of course, right down the center. If the airplanes on the front course (A, B, and C), chose to fly on past the runway down the localizer, they would still correct into the needle. If the airplanes on the back course flew on past the airport, they would still have to correct against the needle. The needle gives the straight story on the color sector, whether front or back course, but you only correct into it if you are flying the

airplane on the localizer using the front course magnetic bearing. Some airplanes with traditional VOR/ILS displays (heads) have a “BC” switch that reverses the sensing and is used on back course approaches to give a normal front course display. This greatly reduces the mental gymnastics during that back course approach at night in moderate turbulence with the screaming baby and sick adult in the back seat. (Or is it a sick baby and a screaming adult?) If your airplane has an HSI, the “gotta fly away from the needle on a back course” problem is solved by aligning the HSI course pointer with the front course. To fly the LOC BC RWY 30 at Waterloo, Iowa (see Figure 5-30B) with the HSI, dial in the ALO ILS or LOC RWY 12 inbound course of 128° (Figure 5-30A) and steer normally toward the needle.

A

B Figure 5-30. Planviews of front and back course ILS approaches for Waterloo Regional, Iowa.

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

Figure 5-30 shows the planviews for front and back courses of Waterloo Regional. The localizer identification consists of a three-letter code preceded by the letter “I” transmitted on the localizer frequency 112.2 (“I-ALO”). The frequency is the same for both the front course and the back course, because the same transmitter is being used. Back course approaches are being replaced by RNAV approaches at many airports. The localizer is only 5° wide, or 2.5° on each side of the center line. The needle, when deflected completely to the side of the deviation indicator, indicates that the airplane is 2.5° (or more) from the center line. You remember that for most omni heads a full deflection of the needle to either side meant that you were 10° (or more) from the selected radial. One of your biggest problems in starting work with the ILS is this sensitivity of the needles on both the localizer and glide slope (particularly the glide slope). You can consider the needle to be approximately four times as sensitive on the localizer as it was for the VOR, so watch those corrections — don’t overdo it! And just like the VOR, the localizer becomes still more sensitive as you approach the transmitter. The localizer antenna on the airplane is the same one used for the VOR.

Glide Slope (or Glide Path) The glide slope transmitter is UHF (329.15–335.00 MHz), and 40 channels are available for use. Each glide slope channel is associated with a particular localizer frequency, as shown by Figure 5-31. On newer equipment, it’s just a matter of selecting the proper localizer frequency and the glide slope is automatically tuned in. The glide slope transmitter is situated 750–1,250 feet in from the approach end of the runway and 250– 650 feet from the center line. Whereas the localizer can be used from both directions (at some airports, obstructions make a back course approach unfeasible), the glide slope is a one-directional item. The glide slope works on basically the same idea as the localizer (except that it is oriented differently) in that the center of the glide slope is found at the area of equal signal strength between 90 and 150 cycles/second patterns. The glide slope extends about 0.7° (7/10°) above and below its center. On the VOR/ILS instrument, a full deflection of the glide slope needle represents this amount (0.7°). (If you think the localizer is going to be sensitive as compared to the VOR, wait until the first time you get in close on the glide slope!)

5-25 ILS Localizer mHz

Glide Slope mHz

Localizer mHz

Glide Slope mHz

108.10 108.15 108.3 108.35 108.5 108.55 108.7 108.75 108.9 108.95 109.1 109.15 109.3 109.35 109.50 109.55 109.70 109.75 109.90 109.95

334.70 334.55 334.10 333.95 329.90 329.75 330.50 330.35 329.30 329.15 331.40 331.25 332.00 331.85 332.60 332.45 333.20 333.05 333.80 333.65

110.1 110.15 110.3 110.35 110.5 110.55 110.70 110.75 110.90 110.95 111.10 111.15 111.30 111.35 111.50 111.55 111.70 111.75 111.90 111.95

334.40 334.25 335.00 334.85 329.60 329.45 330.20 330.05 330.80 330.65 331.70 331.55 332.30 332.15 332.9 332.75 333.5 333.35 331.1 330.95

Figure 5-31. Localizer/glide slope frequency pairings.

The glide slope is at a fixed angle for a particular approach and is normally around 3° above the horizontal, so that it intersects the middle marker at about 200 feet and the outer marker at about 1,400 feet above the runway elevation. Nulls occur above the glide slope, which result in the flag on the omni head showing (as well as the centering of the glide slope needle). You’ll notice this particularly when flying over the airport with the glide slope tuned in. If you are making a back course approach, don’t expect to get glide slope information. If the glide slope needle is acting like it knows what it’s doing in such a situation, ignore it. You’ll have to depend on VOR cross bearings or other aids for knowing when to descend. Figure 5-32 shows the ILS or LOC RWY 5 at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Note the lead radial LR-223.

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Figure 5-32. The ILS or LOC RWY 5 at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Note the lead radial (LR-223) for assistance in turning in onto the final course.

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Glide Slope Antennas Figure 5-33 shows typical glide slope antenna installations. Most older types are exposed, while newer ones may be installed behind a fiberglass nose cone. More than one greenhorn has tried to tow a twin by the older type glide slope antenna.

Marker Beacon The airborne equipment consists of a three-light aural and visual system, as shown in Figure 5-34. The outer and middle markers are low-powered and elliptical (up to 3 watts power output). The outer marker, located at from 4 to 7 miles from the approach end of the runway, is keyed at two dashes per second and is modulated at 400 Hz. A blue light and aural tone are indicated. The middle marker is modulated at 1,300 Hz and triggers an amber light and an alternating dots and dashes aural signal. It’s located 3,500 feet, plus or minus 250 feet, from the end of the runway. Many larger airports have DME transmitters tied to the ILS frequency so that distance information is available throughout the approach. Most ILS approaches have no marker beacon at all. (Figure 5-30A)

Figure 5-33. Some types of glide slope antennas. OM-BLUE

MM-AMBER

IM-WHITE

O

M

I

Marker Beacon Antennas Figure 5-35 shows three types of marker beacon antennas. ILS Course Distortion Disturbances to localizer and glide-slope signals may occur when surface vehicles or airplanes are operated near the approach antennas or when airplanes on approach in front of you distort your signal. You may see signs referencing the “ILS Critical Area” or a separate (farther from the runway) “CAT II” hold short line. If the weather is below 800-ft ceiling or 2 miles visibility, you should use these more conservative lines for holding short as this protects the signal for landing aircraft. In better weather, taxi up to the normal hold short line, unless instructed otherwise by the tower (perhaps that airliner is doing a practice auto-land on a beautiful day to check out the onboard systems).

Inner Marker Back Course

Figure 5-34. Marker beacon indicators and audio signals as would be seen and heard in the airplane. OM — the outer marker indicates a blue light on the panel and is heard as a series of dashes. MM — the middle marker triggers off an amber indicator and is heard as alternating dots and dashes. IM — the inner marker is a white light and a series of dots. The back course marker (a white light and series of double dots) normally indicates the back course final approach fix where approach descent is commenced.

Figure 5-35. Marker beacon antennas.

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Localizer-type Directional Aid (LDA)

Simplified Directional Facility (SDF)

The LDA use the same frequencies as an ILS localizer and has the same precision. It may have a glide slope. What sets it apart from a localizer is its lack of alignment with the runway centerline. After flying an LDA approach, you will have to turn to align with the runway. If the LDA course alignment is greatly different from the runway, only circling minimums are published. Like an ILS or LOC, the LDA has the “I” prefix to its identifier. Figure 5-36A is an LDA with glide slope at Amarillo, Texas.

The SDF is a poor man’s localizer. Using the same frequency range as the ILS and LDA, it has only about half the precision. Each dot of deflection on the SDF equals about twice the linear distance off course of the localizer or LDA. The SDF can be misaligned with the runway, so like flying the LDA, you must keep in mind just where in the windshield the runway will be when you break out of the murk. The SDF identifier has no “I” prefix. Figure 5-36B is the SDF RWY 5 at Morristown, Tennessee.

A

B

Figure 5-36. (A) An LDA with glide slope, Amarillo, Texas. (B) SDF Rwy 5 at Morristown, Tennessee.

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) The system replacing the transponder for identification with ATC is ADS-B, mandated by January 1, 2020. Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADSB) uses GPS satellites and special ground stations to supply location and altitude data to the controller, even when that voice on the radio is far over the horizon from you. Your airplane broadcasts where it is to the ground stations, which then send it on to ATC. The nationwide net of more than 700 ground receivers covers the United States (even out into the Gulf of Mexico) and gives much better coverage than the old line-of-sight radar network. As an example, the sample flight from MEM– BNA has coverage down to 1,500 feet AGL along all but a small portion of the route, and that portion is covered down to 3,000 feet AGL. “ADS-B Out” is the basic level of service and sends what’s needed out to ATC. The system is precise enough that it will eventually allow reduced distances between aircraft and overall better use of our airspace, but it does not offer much more for pilots than the old transponder system (discussed below). Having an “ADS-B In” system installed in your aircraft really ramps up your options. You will now be able to see NEXRAD radar, updated TAFs, METARs, NOTAMs, and local PIREPs, among many other reports. The only downside is that the data is mostly for increasing your situational awareness and might not meet (at the time of this writing) the same quality control as your internet visit to FSS or your download from the commercial flight planning service. ADS-B In will also give you some traffic information in your area, including on the ground. Overall, it is leaps and bounds ahead in improving pilot awareness.

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In use until 2020, the transponder is a radio that reacts to the radar signal from ATC and sends a reply, both stronger and more identifiable than just radar reflecting off of aluminum or composite (a primary return). Two common types of transponders are Mode A (basic) and Mode C (in which your altitude is displayed for the controller). As you can see in Figure 5-37, the control panels of ADS-B (top) and the transponder (bottom) have similarities. Both have the ability to “squawk” or broadcast a discrete code assigned by ATC for easy identification of your airplane; for example, “N7557L, squawk 0413” (and the pilot selects the digits, which go from 0-7, until 0413 is displayed). The IDENT button is used to highlight your return on the controller’s screen when requested: “57L, ident” probably soon followed by “57L, radar contact.” Later, as you depart from that controller’s airspace into the hinterlands, “Aerobat 57L, radar service terminated, squawk VFR” and you would dial in 1200, the generic VFR code. Like the transponder, equipment codes found in the AIM are used when filing flight plans. There are a few specific squawks used in emergencies: 7700—emergency, 7600—lost communications, and 7500—hijacking. Where you’ll need ADS-B Out (unless you get ATC authorization) matches the previous requirement for Mode C: • Class A, B and C airspace and within the 30-NM veil of airports listed in 14 CFR Part 91, Appendix D, Section 1; • Class E airspace above 10,000 MSL (48 states), unless below 2,500 AGL (think Western U.S.); • above Class B or C airspace and below 10,000 MSL; and • Class E airspace at or above 3,000 MSL over the Gulf of Mexico within 12 NM of the coastline. As you can see, an IFR-certificated airplane will need to be ADS-B compliant by January 1, 2020 or lose most of its usefulness.

Figure 5-37. ADS-B and transponder control panels. (Top, courtesy of L-3 Aviation Products; bottom, courtesy of Bendix/King Avionics Division.)

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Radar Altimeter Figure 5-38 is a radar altimeter presentation (and a caution) with this particular installation providing AGL altitude information from 20 feet to 2,500 feet. You can preset the decision height with the “bug” and get the DH lamp warning light and 2-second audio tone if (or as) the airplane descends below the decision height. The radar altimeter (or radio altimeter as it was called in earlier days) may show rapidly varying values over mountainous terrain (note the warning), but this writer found it to be a valuable aid in making night approaches to the old straight-deck carriers.

Global Positioning System (GPS) (Author’s note: This is a quick rundown of the GPS system. See the AIM for a more thorough discussion.) GPS is becoming the backbone of the National Airspace System as the number of VORs is slowly reduced to the minimum needed to cover a catastrophic, widespread GPS outage. GPS offers the availability of direct routing (dependent on airspace and other traffic) and a wide variety of approach options that are not based on the cost and upkeep of ground stations. This explains why RNAV approaches are the most common approaches and why NDB and VOR approaches are disappearing. As you recall, the Global Positioning System is a constellation of approximately 32 satellites with orbits designed so that at least 5 satellites are in view at any time. Each of these satellites continuously transmits a Indicator Needle

time signal and orbital information, allowing an unlimited number of users. To ensure accurate position information, IFRapproved GPS receivers have receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) installed. This system requires that 5th satellite for operation. RAIM acts as a continual quality control monitor that will alert the pilot when the GPS signal is not trustworthy. Two systems used to increase the precision of GPS for approaches are WAAS and GBAS (formerly LAAS). WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) uses carefully surveyed ground stations to monitor GPS signals in a large area and upload correction data to the system. This allows corrections to be transmitted from the WAAS satellites to the airplane for more precise approach data. It also acts as a fault-monitoring system. GBAS (ground-based augmentation system; formerly LAAS, local area augmentation system) is a system of stations that cover much smaller areas (about a 23 NM radius) around airports. This system’s corrections are precise enough to allow approaches down to Category III, less than 1000 RVR. Precision should be sub-meter and this system transmits information (and alerts) directly to the aircraft. Here’s a summary of some of the requirements for IFR flight: 1. The GPS navigation must be approved and installed in the aircraft in accordance with required specification (see AIM). 2. Aircraft using GPS nav equipment under IFR must be equipped with an approved and operational alternate means of navigation appropriate to the flight. Active monitoring of alternate navigation CAUTION: As more and more IFR aircraft are equipped with radar altimeters there is an increasing danger of their being misused. In this example the MDA is 500 feet above ground level at the airport. As you can see here, reliance on the radar altimeter could be disastrous. Therefore, it is important not to use AGL information as a sole altitude reference in place of MDA barometric information.

DH Lamp

Missed Approach Point

DH Select Bug Mask

Descent using barometric altimeter

MDA = 1,400 ft.

500 ft. agl Descent using radar altimeter Elevation = 900 ft.

Altitude Scale DH Select/ Test Knob

Figure 5-38. A radar altimeter presentation with a useful caution. (Courtesy of Bendix-King)

500 ft. agl

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

equipment is not required if the GPS receiver uses RAIM for integrity monitoring. Procedures must be established for use in the event RAIM is not available (or expected to be lost). Use other approved equipment, delay departure, or cancel the flight. 3. The exception to item 2 above is WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) equipped airplanes. WAASapproved GPS equipment uses a correcting signal to fine-tune the airplane’s GPS accuracy to even allow vertical guidance on approaches. A WAAS airplane can fly the entire flight, including diversion into an alternate, without the need for ground-based navigation systems. For more detail, see AIM 1-1-20. 4. The GPS operation must be conducted in accordance with an FAA-approved aircraft flight manual (AFM) or flight manual supplement. Know the particular GPS equipment (there are many different brands available), and it’s a good idea to use it in VFR conditions first. 5. Aircraft navigating by IFR-approved GPS are considered to be RNAV aircraft. If the GPS avionics become inoperative, advise ATC and change the equipment suffix. (See AIM or the flight plan page of the FSS website for a list of equipment suffixes.) 6. Prior to the GPS IFR operation, the pilot must review appropriate NOTAMs and aeronautical information. The GPS equipment may be used in lieu of ADF and/or DME. The required integrity of such operations is provided by at least en route RAIM or an equivalent method (i.e., WAAS).

GPS Standard Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) The Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) procedure is designed to provide a new transition method for arriving aircraft equipped with GPS or FMS (Flight Management System). The TAA contains within it a “T” structure that provides a NoPT (no procedure turn) for aircraft using the approach. This gives a very efficient method of routing traffic from en route to the terminal structure (Figure 5-39). Figure 5-40 shows the Basic “T” with a Missed Approach Holding Fix that is on one leg of the “T.” The Basic “T” contained in the TAA normally aligns the procedure on the runway centerline with the missed approach point (MAP) located at the runway threshold, the final approach fix (FAF) 5 nautical miles from the threshold, and the intermediate fix (IF) 5 nautical miles from the final approach fix (FAF). Two initial approach

5-31 Plan View

IF (IAF) IAF

(3 to 6 nautical miles) Initial Segment

(3 to 6 nautical miles) Initial Segment

IAF

Intermediate Segment (5 nautical miles) FAF Final Segment (5 nautical miles) MAP Runway

Missed Approach Holding Fix

Figure 5-39. The Basic “T” design of the terminal arrival area. An important advantage is that ground geographic references or ground navigation equipment are not needed. The IAF could be an imaginary point in the middle of a bay or swamp. IF or IAF — Initial Approach Fix. FAF — Final Approach Fix. MAP — Missed Approach Point. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual) Plan View Missed Approach Holding Fix

IF (IAF) IAF (3 to 6 nautical miles) Initial Segment

(3 to 6 nautical miles) Initial Segment

IAF

Intermediate Segment (5 nautical miles) FAF Final Segment (5 nautical miles) MAP Runway

Figure 5-40. The Basic “T” with a Missed Approach Holding Fix on one of the legs. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

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Part Two / Navigation and Communications

fixes (IAFs) are located 3 to 6 nautical miles from the center IF (IAF). All of these way point fixes will be named with a five character pronounceable name. The length of the initial approach varies with the category of aircraft using the procedure or descent gradient requirements. For Category A aircraft, the minimum length is 3 NM and for Category E the minimum is 6 NM, hence the 3- to 6-NM item mentioned earlier in the paragraph. (For a review of aircraft categories, see Figure 8-8, Aircraft Approach Categories in Chapter 8 of this book.) These initial segments are normally constructed perpendicular to the intermediate segment. Note in Figures 5-39 and 5-40 there are holding patterns at the IF (IAF) for course reversal requirements. For example, some pilots may want to make a procedure turn (PT) to meet a descent gradient requirement. The missed approach is aligned with the final approach course and normally terminates in a direct entry into a holding pattern. Conditions may require a different routing, however. Another modification for the Basic “T” is set up to accommodate descent from a high en-route altitude to the initial segment altitude. A procedure turn holding pattern provides an extended distance for the necessary descent gradient. The holding pattern for this purpose is always established on the IF (IAF) way point (Figure 5-41). Another modification may be required for parallel runways. The normal “T” IAFs serve all parallel runways, but only one initial intermediate and final Plan View

IF (IAF) PT required for aircraft approaching from this side due to descent gradient.

Initial Segment Intermediate Segment

FAF

Final Segment

MAP Runway

Figure 5-41. A modified Basic “T” for added descent purposes. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

IAF

segment combination will be depicted on the approach chart for the landing runway. The standard TAA consists of three areas that are established by the extension of the legs of the Basic “T.” These are straight-in, left base, and right base. The 30 NM arc boundary of each area is equivalent to a feeder fix. The procedure turn (PT) holding pattern at the IF (IAF) is standard. Area boundaries are magnetic course lines to the IF (IAF). (See Figure 5-42.) There may be modifications to the area of the standard TAA because of operation requirements, and the right or left base areas may be modified or eliminated. Pilots approaching the IF (IAF) within 120° of the final approach course (this is the maximum angle; a smaller angle could be required) are expected to fly a NoPT straight-in approach. Pilots approaching the IF (IAF) on a course greater than 120° (or a specified smaller angle) from the final approach course are required to execute a procedure turn (Figure 5-43). There are other modifications to the approach patterns to the IF (IAF), and the pilot should use the particular RNAV approach chart as a guide. Figure 5-44 shows the RNAV (GPS) Y RWY 18 at Winchester, Tennessee, Municipal (BGF) with its straight-in, left- and right-base areas. Assume you are 40 miles southeast of COGTO inbound, level at 6,000 feet. Center gives you this clearance: “Cessna 57L, cleared direct COGTO, maintain 6,000 feet, cleared RNAV Y runway 18 at Winchester.” Cleared for the approach—the magic words. Navigation systems vary, but you would set up direct to COGTO and when you reach 30 miles from it (entering the left-base TAA), descend to cross COGTO at or above 5,000 feet. Reaching the intersection, left turn to ZEDUX, crossing it at or above 4,000 feet and not entering any kind of procedure turn, unless you’ve requested and been cleared for one (“NoPT” on the leg from IAF to IF). Approaching ZEDUX, turn left inbound to cross the FAF, TECUG, at or above 2,900 feet, WANUG at or above 1,820 feet, then continue down to the minimum descent altitude (MDA) of 1,420. There is a published visual descent point (VDP) at 1.1 NM from the runway. With luck, you will have the REILs, runway lights, PAPI, or runway itself in sight no later than the VDP and can land; otherwise, you’ll go around following the missed approach track in a right climbing turn to 4,000 feet to IF ZEDUX to hold as published. Since the TAA arcs act as IAFs to the base leg fixes, many more approaches are treated and flown as “straight-in” and avoid a lot of extra maneuvering needed for the holding pattern, perhaps on a dark and choppy night.

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

5-33 To Straight-In IF(IAF)

Plan View

STRAIGHT-IN AREA 2000'

30 090°

NM

IF(IAF) for Straight-In Area IAF for Right Base Area

270°

IAF for Left Base Area FAF

M

30

N 30

NM

2500'

MAP

2000'

Runway

RIGHT BASE AREA

LEFT BASE AREA

To Right Base IAF

To Left Base IAF 360°

Aircraft maintain designated altitudes within each area.

Figure 5-42. A layout of the areas for a standard TAA. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

A few points (receiver autonomous integrity monitoring):

Plan View

1. If a RAIM failure/status annunciation occurs prior to the final approach way point (FAWP), the approach should be broken off because the GPS may not be providing the required accuracy. 2. If the RAIM failure occurs after the FAWP, the missed approach should be executed immediately.

NoPT approaching the IF (IAF) from anywhere within this area.

4100'

Here is a summary of some abbreviations for GPS approach operations (some have been covered earlier):

IF(IAF)

1. MAHWP — Missed Approach Holding Way Point 2. MAWP — Missed Approach Way Point. The runway threshold way point, which is normally the MAWP, may have a five-letter identifier (SNARF) or be coded RW ## (RW 36, RW 36L) 3. FAF — Final Approach Fix 4. FAWP — Final Approach Way Point 5. IAWP — Initial Approach Way Point 6. IAF — Initial Approach Fix 7. IF — Intermediate Fix

FAF

Navigating to this fix

MAP

°

0 06

Runway 4100' PT required approaching the IF(IAF) from anywhere within this area.

Figure 5-43. TAA showing 120° approach sectors when the base areas are eliminated. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

30

0°

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Figure 5-44. GPS approach chart for Winchester, Tennessee.

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

Chapter 5 / Navigational Aids and Instruments

Visual Descent Point (VDP) The VDP (Figure 5-45) can be a defined point on the approach chart or calculated by the pilot. It’s the point along the final approach course of a non-ILS approach (or other approach that has no vertical guidance to the runway) where the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) intersects the normal descent path to the runway (no VASI or PAPI available). If you’re past the VDP when you finally see the runway, a missed approach should be accomplished, because you won’t be able to land in the touchdown zone without some abnormal maneuvering (a high sink rate, at the least). Knowing the VDP can keep you from easing below the MDA (perhaps into that hillside short of the airport) if you see the runway early on a dark and stormy night. The safety effect is similar to staying at the MDA until a VASI or PAPI indicates you’re on the correct glide path, then starting down.

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Summary This gives only an overview of the navigation and approach systems in use. More detail about the specific approach types (using examples at BNA) can be found in Chapter 13. You will find that it’s critical to be very comfortable with all of the navigation equipment installed in your aircraft, which will really lower your stress level when things start getting complicated.

B

MDA A

When a pilot on a nonprecision instrument approach descends to his minimum descent altitude, he may be able to see the ground below but not the airport ahead. Consequently he may be tempted to begin his final descent to land prematurely, resulting in an excessively low approach (A); or he may begin late, resulting in an overly steep approach (B). The Visual Descent Point signal will tell him the proper moment to initiate the final descent with a normal glide angle (C).

VDP

Figure 5-46. Practicing with the navigation systems on the ground until they become second nature will greatly reduce your stress level when you’re in the soup and receive a complex clearance.

MDA C

Figure 5-45. Visual descent point. (From the FAA General Aviation News)

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6

Communications and Control of Air Traffic When you were first flying out of that uncontrolled field, you were on your own and kept separated from other aircraft by the eyeball method. This worked fine because there was very little transient traffic, and you could keep up with everybody anyway. Things were so quiet that everyone would quit hangar flying and rush out of the airport office to watch a transient airplane land. There would be much discussion as the plane approached as to where it could be from. (You would know as soon as it landed, but it was part of the program to throw out conjectures.) Later, as transient traffic began to pick up and radio equipment was available for the airplanes, a Unicom, or aeronautical advisory station, was set up in the office. It was just that — an advisory station — and woe betide anyone who started acting like a controller in the tower at Chicago O’Hare and issued takeoff or landing clearances to all and sundry within range. Unicom was a further step; you could communicate with approaching and departing airplanes, and it helped you keep up with the increased traffic in and near the field. Unicom got to be no big deal, and you’d been using the radio like a professional — around your home airport. Then came the day when you had to fly some airplane parts over to the field at Whitesville where there was a TOWER. Well, you kind of sweated that one on the way over and practiced your lines until you had them cold and, of course, got mike fright and called “ZEPHYR ONE TWO THREE FOUR PAPA, THIS IS WHITESVILLE TOWER, OVER” — instead of the other way around — and wound up drenched with sweat by the time you had landed and taxied in. (And, if you recall, there was a little problem contacting ground control, so there was a period of limbo when you weren’t talking — or listening — to anybody.) Well, they didn’t arrest you, and they even let you taxi back and take off when you got ready to go home. Going into controlled airports is routine now. You even know the controllers personally and visit the tower and drink coffee

with them in the airport restaurant. In fact, after you’d done it a few times, you felt more comfortable going into a controlled airport than landing at an uncontrolled airport unfamiliar to you. You figured that at the controlled field somebody was helping you keep up with other traffic, even if the responsibility for safety was still yours. Then you used approach control for the first time to get traffic information. You also later used VFR traffic advisory (radar), both for approaching and departing from big airports. For en route service you’ve been using the FSS’s for some time, so that’s no problem. Probably at this stage of your career, you’ve used all of the facilities available to you, maybe even the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) through the use of “flight following,” but it would be a good idea to review a little to tie it all together. The purpose of this chapter is to cover the communications areas generally; the specifics will come later.

Flight Service Station (FSS) FSS has the prime responsibility for preflight briefing (via 1800wxbrief, online or via phone), en route communication with VFR flights (and rarely IFR flights), originating NOTAMs, plus accepting and closing flight plans. As technology advances, FSS is less significant than in years past, with pilots now increasingly using the internet and commercial flight planning services. If a VFR pilot does not have streaming data available onboard, FSS is still quite useful for inflight NOTAM, TFR and weather updates via VHF radio and the frequencies associated with the VOR data on VFR and IFR charts. See figure 6-3, Zanesville VOR.

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6-2

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

The Tower Everybody talks of “the tower” (including nonpilots who’ve seen too many aerial disaster movies for their own, and aviation’s, good), and you’ve used the facility a few times yourself, but a review might be in order. Assume that you flew by airline into McGheeTyson Airport at Knoxville, Tennessee, to ferry an airplane to Chattanooga. You’ve checked it over carefully and are ready to start up and go. The weather is great VFR, but you still will go through the same general procedures as for an IFR departure, so take a look at the steps involved. Check Figure 6-1.

Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) ATIS is the continuous broadcast of recorded noncontrol information in selected terminal areas. The purpose is to improve control effectiveness and cut the chatter by both sides by having the repetitive transmission of essential but routine information such as:

“McGHEE-TYSON INFORMATION DELTA. ONE THREE FIVE THREE ZULU. WIND ZERO FOUR ZERO AT ONE ZERO. CEILING FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED BROKEN. VISIBILITY ONE ZERO. TEMPERATURE THREE THREE. DEW POINT THREE ONE. ALTIMETER THREE ZERO ZERO FOUR. RUNWAYS FIVE LEFT AND FIVE RIGHT IN USE. ADVISE ON INITIAL CONTACT YOU HAVE DELTA”

The ATIS provides current departure information as appropriate. (It also provides arrival information, but that will be covered later.) Departure information in the ATIS broadcast may be omitted by clearance delivery (or the tower) if the pilot states the appropriate ATIS code. This is your first contact with ATC for your trip, and you’d do it by listening to ATIS at your parking spot. It gives you an overall look at the weather and runway situation before contacting clearance delivery for clearance and then ground control for taxi instructions. In the ATIS the alphabet will be used sequentially from Alfa to Zulu and be repeated without regard to the beginning of a new day. Large airports that have distinctive arrival and departure ATIS broadcasts may use the first half of the alphabet for arrival ATIS and the second half for departure ATIS. There will be a new recording (Alfa changes to Bravo, etc.):

1. Upon receipt of new official weather whether or not there is a change in values. 2. When runway braking reports are received indicating braking is worse than that included in the current ATIS (“braking advisories in effect”). 3. When there is a change in any other pertinent data, such as runway change, instrument approach in use, new or canceled NOTAM/SIGMET, PIREP, etc. Some pilots turn the master switch and transceiver ON and listen to ATIS before starting the engine. Your choice would probably depend on the condition of the airplane’s battery, outside temperatures, and the number of people and vehicles close to the propeller. From an ideal standpoint it would be good to listen to ATIS, get your clearance from clearance delivery, start the engine, get ground control clearance, and then taxi out of the parking place. The McGhee-Tyson ATIS frequency is 128.35 MHz (Figure 6-1). You might want to write down the salient ATIS information.

Clearance Delivery At the less busy airports, you’ll be given an instrument clearance on the ground control frequency, usually after you reach the warm-up area. (You’ll be notified that the clearance is forthcoming.) However, at airports with heavy IFR traffic, this could cause a great deal of clutter on that frequency, so a special frequency called “clearance delivery” is set up. It’s just as the name implies, a frequency used strictly for pretaxi IFR (or VFR) clearances. Don’t be taxiing out on clearance delivery and taking a clearance when you should be listening to ground control and minding the store. (Taxiing into a large, expensive, immovable object while copying a clearance is hardly an ideal way to start a flight.) The clearance delivery frequency is given with the other airport data in the Chart Supplements U.S. Clearance delivery has nothing to do with the direct control of air or ground traffic. As some tower-controlled airports become busier, VFR as well as IFR traffic must get clearance for departing the area, as in this example. It may seem rather strange getting what is apparently a full IFR departure clearance at 0600 on a clear morning with no other traffic, but you’ll soon get used to the idea. You’ll contact clearance delivery on 121.65 MHz at Knoxville (Figure 6-1) and in this case, after initial contact (including your full airplane number), you’d indicate that you are going VFR to Chattanooga, are a Zephyr Six, and have Delta. You would also tell clearance delivery your route (if other than direct) and altitude. (Be ready to copy the clearance.) For instance,

Chapter 6 / Communications and Control of Air Traffic

6-3

Figure 6-1. Airport and frequency information for (A) Knoxville (TYS) and (B) Chattanooga (CHA) airports. (From the Chart Supplements U.S.)

you might get, “NOVEMBER 7557 LIMA, AFTER DEPARTURE FLY HEADING 350, MAINTAIN AT OR BELOW 2,000 FEET. SQUAWK ZERO THREE ONE ONE. DEPARTURE CONTROL ONE TWO THREE POINT NINE.” You would read it back and especially note the departure control frequency.

Ground Control Ground control regulates traffic moving on the taxiways and those runways not being used for takeoffs and landings. Ground control will coordinate with the tower if you have to cross a “hot,” or active, runway. Ground

control is naturally on a different frequency than that of the tower. You can imagine the radio clutter that would result if some pilots were asking for taxi directions while others were calling in for landing instructions. For simplification and comparison of local (tower) and ground control duties: (1) Local control has jurisdiction over aircraft in the process of landing and taking off. (This includes aircraft while in the pattern and on the active runway.) (2) Ground control is used for ground traffic at the airport other than on the active runway during the takeoff or landing process. The ground controller will be in the tower beside the local

6-4

controller. (At very quiet times, one controller may be operating both tower and ground frequencies and may clear you to taxi to the ramp while remaining on the tower frequency after landing.) You may get your IFR clearances on the ground control frequencies, but this was covered earlier. You would contact McGhee-Tyson ground control for taxi on 121.9 MHz (Figure 6-1) and tell them where you are. In this case you’ll be told to taxi to Runway 5 Right. (Ground control frequencies are in the range from 121.6 to 121.9 MHz.) Taxi clearances will specifically include the words “cleared to cross Runway XX.” No longer do taxi instructions allow the crossing of any runway between you and your departure runway without specific clearance to cross each runway. You should acknowledge all runway crossings, hold short, or takeoff clearances unless there is some misunderstanding, at which time you should question the controller until the clearance is understood. If you are not sure, don’t taxi until the situation is understood. (This writer was taking off from a tower-controlled airport and was cleared by the tower for takeoff “Four Four Tango, cleared for takeoff.” There was another airplane ready for takeoff on a cross runway and something jogged my memory. I asked if “Six Five Four Four Tango is cleared?” The answer was that another Four Four Tango with different first two numbers was cleared for takeoff on the other runway. The two airplanes might have had an interesting encounter at the intersection.) Both the controller and pilot should always include the runway and N-number in the read-back in any clearance dealing with a runway (hold short, taxi onto or across, line up and wait, or takeoff/land). This lowers the chance of bad things happening on runways. When you’re taxiing, you have the final responsibility for avoiding that herd of buffalo or the Shriners’ parade moving across the taxiway. Ground control will be helpful on where to turn if you are new to the airport and the taxiway layout is complicated. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. An important point: Stay on a particular assigned frequency; don’t leave it without checking with ATC. Sure, you’re taxiing out and need to give a quick call back to Unicom to see if you left the fuel receipt there, so what’s a few seconds? Well, maybe during those few seconds ground control (or local control, etc.) needs to talk to you very urgently. (The runway that you were cleared to cross in the initial instruction now has unauthorized traffic on short final.) When landing, don’t switch to ground control until told to do so by the tower.

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

Local Control Local control is the function that pilots think of as “the tower” and has jurisdiction over air traffic within the airport traffic control service area. This service is provided by the control tower for aircraft operating on the movement area and in the vicinity of an airport. The tower is considered to control the traffic pattern entry and the pattern itself, including takeoffs and landings. The local controllers are in the glassed-in part of the tower, since their control is dependent on visual identification of aircraft for takeoffs and landings. The local control (tower) frequencies are in the Chart Supplements U.S., and as you can see in Figure 6-1, the tower frequency at McGhee-Tyson is 121.2 MHz. After you’ve made the pretakeoff check behind the taxiway hold lines, switch to tower frequency (121.2 MHz) and give the word that you’re ready to go. You’ll probably get one of the three following immediate replies: 1. “ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, HOLD SHORT RUNWAY FIVE RIGHT.” 2. “ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, RUNWAY FIVE RIGHT LINE UP AND WAIT.” 3. “ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, WIND ZERO FOUR ZERO AT EIGHT, MAINTAIN RUNWAY HEADING, CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF RUNWAY FIVE RIGHT.” You would already have the transponder set to 0311 and would turn it on when cleared for takeoff (note: larger airports with ground control radar require the transponder to be on anytime you are under power).

Departure Control Shortly after takeoff (usually within a half-mile of the runway end) the tower will say, “ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, CONTACT DEPARTURE CONTROL.” The departure control frequency is not given, since you got it from clearance delivery, although you can ask for it if you forgot or lost the paper with the clearance on it. Change frequencies and check in: “KNOXVILLE DEPARTURE, ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, OUT OF FIVE HUNDRED FOR TWO THOUSAND.” Departure control will say, “RADAR CONTACT,” and might turn you to a heading of 350°. Don’t break your altitude restriction of 2,000 feet (as given in this particular clearance) unless cleared to do so by departure control. You can expect that shortly departure control will clear you on course and to climb to your assigned altitude.

Chapter 6 / Communications and Control of Air Traffic

Departure control will release you (“RADAR SERVICE TERMINATED, RESUME OWN NAVIGATION, FREQUENCY CHANGE APPROVED, SQUAWK ONE TWO ZERO ZERO”), and in VFR conditions you are free to change altitudes and headings as you desire. In an IFR environment you would be switched to a Center frequency for control en route. (Figure 6-1A shows the information just discussed as presented in the Chart Supplements U.S. (That publication will be covered more fully in Chapter 8.)

Approaching Chattanooga (VFR) Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) Well before entering the Class C airspace listen to Chattanooga (Lovell Field) ATIS (119.85 MHz) (see Figure 6-1B) so that you’ll have the needed information to save some talking. Assume that you get information Foxtrot:



You: “CHATTANOOGA APPROACH, ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA.” Chattanooga approach: “ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, GO AHEAD.” You: “ZEPHYR SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA, ZEPHYR SIX, TWO ZERO MILES NORTHEAST, FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED, INFORMATION FOXTROT, LANDING LOVELL FIELD.” Chattanooga approach: “SEVEN FIVE FIVE SEVEN LIMA SQUAWK ZERO TWO ZERO FIVE…” (you would read back and comply). Chattanooga approach: “ZEPHYR FIVE SEVEN LIMA RADAR CONTACT, ONE NINE MILES NORTH-EAST OF THE AIRPORT”

You would continue straight in or be vectored as necessary to fall into the traffic flow and then would be switched to the tower frequency (118.3 MHz) for landing. After landing, don’t take it upon yourself to switch to ground control (121.7 MHz) (Figure 6-1B) while on the runway, without authorization of the tower. You’d continue rolling (taxiing) in the landing direction, proceed to the nearest suitable taxiway, and exit the runway without delay (completely past the runway hold short line), then contact ground control. Don’t (unless instructed to do so by the tower) turn onto another runway or make a 180° turn to taxi back. Again, if you need taxi directions at a strange (to you) airport, don’t hesitate to ask.

6-5

The VFR procedures cited are different from IFR procedures primarily because clearance delivery would give assigned altitude, routing, and other information. Also, instead of being on your own for most of the trip from Knoxville to Chattanooga, you’d be communicating with Atlanta Center on the straight and level portions. Okay, take a look at the functions of the Air Route Traffic Control Center.

Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) When you filed your IFR flight plan, you set off a beehive of activity. Your plans, hopes, and dreams (and flight plan) for the next few hours go into the hands of the ARTCC for your area. The United States (the 48-state portion) is divided into 20 areas, each with the responsibility of a particular ARTCC (Atlanta, Memphis, Los Angeles, etc.). Figure 6-2 shows the location and relative size of the Memphis Low-Altitude (surface to FL230) Center area. The job of each Center is to coordinate IFR traffic within its area and alert the next Center of your approach to its area. In nearly all areas, if you’re not flying at too low an altitude, they will be able to monitor your flight by radar or ADS-B all the way. In fact, your flight is so well monitored that you may be quietly chided at being “2 miles south of course,” or may hear other ego-shattering statements that blare out over the cabin speaker for your passengers to hear. Figure 6-3 shows the boundary between two Centers as depicted on an en route chart.

Figure 6-2. The approximate size and location of the Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center.

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Part Two / Navigation and Communications







Figure 6-3. (1) The boundary between two Centers as depicted on an en route chart. (2) A remote communications position for Cleveland Center. (3) The FSS frequencies available near the Zanesville VOR.

As the United States is broken down into Center areas, so are the Centers divided into 20 to 80 Sectors each. Figure 6-4 gives a simplified look at the Memphis Center boundary and the Sectors within this area. The heavy black line (arrow) is the route of an example instrument flight to be discussed in this and later chapters. Figure 6-5 is the Low-Altitude Center area, showing more details, such as airway structures and frequencies. Each Sector has its own controllers and assigned VHF and UHF frequencies. For instance, Sector 67 (GLH) is the Greenville, Miss., Sector; the frequency (VHF) is 135.8 MHz (269.3 MHz-UHF). That particular Sector has two remote communications air/ground (RCAG) sites as indicated by the arrows. Both sites transmit and receive on 135.8 MHz because that’s the Sector frequency. The sites are located to give the best coverage; most Sectors need only one, while others, the example here, may need two (or more).

Figure 6-4. A simplified look at the Sectors in the Memphis Center area. The black line (arrow) is the sample route to be filed to Nashville later.

Chapter 6 / Communications and Control of Air Traffic

6-7

Figure 6-5. An example of the Memphis Low-Altitude Center area with the route to Nashville marked. The arrows point out the two RCAG (remote communications air to ground) in the Greenville, Mississippi Sector. The insert is frequency data from the Chart Supplements U.S.

You, as a pilot, don’t have access to the drawing of the Center area, but the Chart Supplements U.S. has the frequencies for the various Sectors. The insert in Figure 6-5 is from the Chart Supplement and gives the frequency for a particular Sector. Note that the Greenville low-altitude frequency is 135.8 MHz. (The highaltitude Sectors’ frequencies are in bold type.) As you can see in Figure 6-5, each Sector has its own frequencies, UHF and VHF, and the airways have been marked in (but not identified there). Figure 6-6 has the same information on the GLH RCAG sites as Figure 6-5 but is shown as presented on the en route low-altitude chart. You’d file your flight plan (MEM ELVIS4 ETREE direct KERMI V54 RQZ VOLLS1 BNA) online at 1800WXBRIEF, by phone (through that phone number), or through a service. The flight plan is sent to the host computer system at Center. The computer assigns a discrete beacon code for the full trip (departure, en

route, and arrival) if the computers, that is, ARTCC and the Automatic Radar Terminal System (ARTS), can coordinate. It may be that you’ll have to use a new code for the departure or destination airport if they aren’t tied in with the Center computer. When the IFR flight plan gets to the computer system, the computer analyzes it for route and departure area and will buy any altitude you put on the flight. It will reject erroneous routes, so if you say in your flight plan that you’re going from Memphis to Nashville via some airway that runs north and south along the West Coast, the computer will sneer and spit it out. It will reject all “errors” except those controller prerogatives such as cruise and climb rates. If you don’t want a DP (standard instrument departure), which will be covered in more detail in Chapter 8, you will so indicate on the remarks portion of the flight plan. You’ll be given verbal details of the procedure for getting away from the airport and on your way. Figure

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Part Two / Navigation and Communications

Figure 6-6. RCAG locations of Figure 6-5 (arrows) for the Greenville Sector as depicted on the en route chart.

6-7 shows that you would read the altitude information on the DP. Clearance delivery would (and must) give you that information verbally if a DP is not used. Assuming you have DP information, your conversation with Memphis clearance delivery would probably go like this:

You: “CLEARANCE DELIVERY, THIS IS ZEPHYR THREE FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET. INFORMATION DELTA. IFR NASHVILLE, OVER.”



Memphis clearance delivery: “ZEPHYR THREE FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET, (THIS IS) CLEARANCE DELIVERY. CLEARED TO THE NASHVILLE AIRPORT VIA ELVIS FOUR DEPARTURE, THEN AS FILED. MAINTAIN THREE THOUSAND. DEPARTURE (CONTROL) FREQUENCY ONE TWO FOUR POINT ONE FIVE (124.15 MHz), SQUAWK FIVE FIVE ONE TWO (5512).”

Figure 6-7 has the Elvis Four, which gives the departure route description along with the VOLLS One Arrival.

Chapter 6 / Communications and Control of Air Traffic

Figure 6-7. The ELVIS FOUR departure and VOLLS ONE arrival used in the example cross-country.

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Part Two / Navigation and Communications

Figure 6-8. Departure control will usually hold you below a certain altitude until you are out of its area of jurisdiction. If traffic permits, departure will coordinate with the Center and you may be climbed to the final assigned altitude sooner. The approach (or departure) control area probably won’t be a smooth round cylinder as shown but may have corridors and projections.

If, after you’ve filed but haven’t gone to the airplane yet, you decide on a different route to Nashville (or maybe even changed your destination), refile online or contact the FSS and they will pass the word to the Center. Your clearance, in order to avoid confusing it with the earlier flight plan, would contain the full route structure (not “cleared as filed”). Figure 6-8 shows that through coordination with the Center, departure control may tell you to climb before reaching the departure control boundary. If both radar and ADS-B were to fail, you’ll have to go way back to the basics of position reporting. At a compulsory reporting point (solid black triangle) or whatever point ATC requests a report over, use the I-PTA-TEN. Identity; Position; Time over; Altitude; Type of flight plan (if not talking directly to ARTCC); Estimated time over next compulsory point; Next compulsory point. “Anniston radio, Cessna 7557L, position Muscle Shoals at 1657Z, 7000 feet, IFR, estimate Rocket at 1717Z, VANDD next.” Anniston radio (you’re transmitting on 122.4 MHz as shown at the Muscle Shoals VOR) would confirm and give you the latest local altimeter setting. This scenario is so rare the practice flight has NO compulsory reporting points shown along the route. But when flying in more remote areas or if widespread ADS-B outages occur, you may need to recall this procedure.

Back to Radar After takeoff from runway 36R at MEM, per the SID you’ll turn right to a heading 047° (or as assigned) and expect vectors to the MEM 098 radial to ETREE (“East Three”), expecting direct KERMI with Memphis

Center, V54 to RQZ (Rocket) and the RQZ transition of the VOLLS ONE arrival to BNA. There are certainly more direct routings available, but this one will help build cross country time.

Scope Symbols Figure 6-9, taken from the AIM, shows an ARTS III radarscope with various alphanumeric data. The ARTCC and ARTS computer facilities can “talk” to each other. Figure 6-10, also taken from the AIM, shows the information available at a National Airspace System (NAS) Stage A controller’s PVD when operating in the full automation RDP (radar data processing) mode. When not in the automation mode, the display is similar to that shown in Figure 6-9. It’s too much for you to be able to take in all of the information given in Figures 6-9 and 6-10 at once. But you may want to use them as references to get a better picture of the controllers’ displays and the radar information available to ATC and to the pilot through communications with ATC.

Notes Memphis Center and tower will have a letter of agreement concerning specific departure routes and arrival gates for the Memphis terminal area. You may be instructed to depart from the airport in a direction that’s not precisely direct to your route. The letter of agreement sets out the best coordination between the facilities for best traffic sequencing in or out.

Chapter 6 / Communications and Control of Air Traffic

NOTE: “ARTS” radar scope continue “broadband” (primary/secondary) radar targets with alphanumeric data. Lower right hand subset displays “broadband” (primary/secondary) radar and ARTS III when operating without automation.

45

46

44 43

29.89 1210/31 YILS 36 02 04 32 34 RF EM

1

2

6-11

40 2 ALL21 SD 050 3 N12JCN 1 UAL14 SD 040

C AAL 369 3412 A USA 121 4516 D UAL 10 0712 B N44C 0120 E TWA 620

3

42 41 39 38

A1 A2

37

V 25892 120 22

4 C

5 6

36

35

A

7

34

A

8

3412 ID N 3160E ID 36R

9 10

7700 040

11 B

12

N

15

16

A AAL 121 060 24

28

A42816 060 22H

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Nonautomated “Broadband” Radar Scope in use at many terminals and certain ARTCCs. This also depicts ARTS/NAS Stage A (ARTCC) scopes when operating in the nonautomation mode. (Videomaps are not shown but there are no alphanumerics.) 1. Areas of precipitation (can be reduced by CP) 2. Arrival/departure tabular list 3. Trackball (control) position symbol (A) 4. Airway (lines are sometimes deleted in part) 5. Radar limit line for control 6. Obstruction (video map) 7. Primary radar returns of obstacles or terrain (can be removed by MTI) 8. Satellite airports 9. Runway centerlines (marks and spaces indicate miles) 10. Primary airport with parallel runways 11. Approach gates 12. Tracked target (primary and beacon target) 13. Control position symbol 14. Untracked target select code (monitored) with Mode C readout of 5,000' 15. Untracked target without Mode C 16. Primary target 17. Beacon target only (secondary radar) (transponder)

31 30 29

17 18



32

W 170 005 18

13 14

LOW AL

A 060

33

26

27

Ident fills in between select code control slashes (Primary and Secondary Target) Code 7700 Select code, e.g. 2100 Other nonselect code Other nonselect code (beacon target only) Primary target

18. Primary and beacon target 19. Leader line 20. Altitude Mode C readout is 6,000' 21. Ground speed readout is 240 knots 22. Aircraft ID 23. Asterisk indicates a controller entry in Mode C block. In this case 5,000' is entered and “05” would alternate with Mode C readout. 24. Indicates heavy 25. “Low ALT” flashes to indicate when an aircraft’s predicted descent places the aircraft in an unsafe proximity to terrain. 26. NAVAIDs 27. Airways 28. Primary target only 29. Nonmonitored. No Mode C (an asterisk would indicate nonmonitored with Mode C) 30. Beacon target only (secondary radar based on aircraft transponder) 31. Tracked target (primary and beacon target) control position A

32. Aircraft is squawking emergency Code 7700 and is nonmonitored, untracked, Mode C 33. Controller assigned runway 36 right alternates with Mode C readout 34. Ident flashes 35. Identing target blossoms 36. Untracked target identing on a selected code 37. Range marks (10 and 15 miles) (can be changed/offset) 38. Aircraft controlled by center 39. Targets in suspend status 40. Coast/suspend list (aircraft holding, temporary loss of beacon/target, etc.) 41. Radio failure (emergency information) 42. Select beacon codes (being monitored) 43. General information (ATIS, runway, approach in use) 44. Altimeter setting 45. Time 46. System data area

Figure 6-9. ARTS III radar scope alphanumeric data. Check the latest AIM for changes for Figures 6-9 and 6-10. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

6-12

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

Radar Services and Procedures

// //

19

28 // //

3

UAL33 100A 296

X

7 X

// //

X

N1467F 140+ 143 460

X X

1

11 12

AAL373 280C 191H-33

X

/// / 1200 7600 RDOF 7700 EMRG H H H H H H H H H H H H H

6 VIG123 310N 095

X

X

X

X

NWA258 170 143

15

# /// /

AAL353 70 23 2734

16

X 290 2103

18 29

Example Target symbols: 1. Uncorrelated primary radar target [o] [+] 2. Correlated primary radar target [×] *See note below. 3. Uncorrelated beacon target [ / ] 4. Correlated beacon target [ \ ] 5. Identing beacon target [ ≡ ] *Note: in Number 2 correlated means the association of radar data with the computer projected track of an identified aircraft. Position symbols: 6. Free track (no flight plan tracking) [∆] 7. Flat track (flight plan tracking) [◊] 8. Coast (beacon target lost) [#] 9. Present position hold [ × ] Data block information: 10. Aircraft ident *See note below. 11. Assigned altitude FL280, Mode C altitude same or within ± 200' of assigned altitude. *See note below.

8

X

27 26

17

R15909 170C

/// /

4

13 14

UAL712 310N 22CST

// //

+ ++ +

10 1200 85

// //

2

5

// //

/// /

29

23

// //

20

22

30

/// /

21

25

24 9

12. Computer ID #191, handoff is to sector 33 (0-33 would mean handoff accepted) *See note below. 13. Assigned altitude 17,000', aircraft is climbing, Mode C readout was 14,300 when last beacon interrogation was received. 14. Leader line connecting target symbol and data block 15. Track velocity and direction vector line (projected ahead of target) 16. Assigned altitude 7,000, aircraft is descending, last Mode C readout (or last reported altitude) was 100' above FL230 17. Transponder code shows in full data block only when different than assigned code 18. Aircraft is 300' above assigned altitude 19. Reported altitude (no Mode C readout) same as assigned. (An “n” would indicate no reported altitude.) 20. Transponder set on emergency Code 7700 (EMRG flashes to attract attention) 21. Transponder Code 1200 (VFR) with no Mode C

22. Code 1200 (VFR) with Mode C and last altitude readout 23. Transponder set on radio failure Code 7600 (RDOF flashes) 24. Computer ID #228, CST indicates target is in coast status 25. Assigned altitude FL290, transponder code (these two items constitute a “limited data block”) *Note: numbers 10, 11, and 12 constitute a “full data block” Other symbols: 26. Navigational aid 27. Airway or jet route 28. Outline of weather returns based on primary radar. “H” represents areas of high density precipitation which might be thunderstorms. Radial lines indicated lower density precipitation. 29. Obstruction 30. Airports Major: Small:

Figure 6-10. National Airspace System Stage A controller’s planview display. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

Chapter 6 / Communications and Control of Air Traffic

If you have a general idea of what the Center does with a flight plan and what the Sector layout looks like, you’ll feel more at ease with the system. Just when you are having good communication with a controller, you are asked to switch to another Sector controller on another frequency. A short study of Sectors and Sector controllers’ duties will clear things up. It’s strongly suggested that you visit and get a good look at the Center operations.

6-13

Figures 6-4 and 6-5 are examples of Sector numbers, boundaries, and frequencies used. Those factors may change, but the principle is valid as far as showing what happens to your flight plan at the Center. Figure 6-11 takes a look at communications used during an IFR flight. Figure 6-12 is the Atlanta Center Sector chart (surface to FL 23,000 except as indicated). This illustration, like that of the Memphis Low-Altitude Sector chart

Figure 6-11. A simplified view of facilities used on a “typical” IFR flight. The Center may be climbing or descending you in parts of the areas shown for departure control or approach control.

Figure 6-12. The Atlanta Center Sector chart. Note that it joins Memphis Center to the west.

6-14

(Figure 6-5), will no doubt become obsolete with time due to changed frequencies and Sector boundaries, but it is inserted here to show that Centers all have basically the same setup. (For Pete’s sake, don’t use any of the charts or approach plates in this book for navigation purposes!)

Tower En Route Control (TEC) Tower en route control is an ATC program for aircraft flying between some metropolitan areas. It links designated approach control areas by a network of identified routes of the existing airway structure. The TEC program is applied generally for non-turbojet aircraft operating at or below 10,000 feet. In other words, you’re passed from one approach control area to the next, and the system is aimed at being used for relatively short flights. You are subject to the same delay factor at the destination airport as other aircraft in the ATC system. (Departure and en route delays can be a problem, too.) If the major metropolitan airport is having significant delays, you might want to use an alternate. You don’t have to meet any unique requirements as far as flight plan filing is concerned, but you should put “TEC” in the remarks section of the flight plan if you want it. TEC is only available in a few areas now and is found in the Chart Supplement U.S. for that region under Section Four, Associated Data.

Communications Techniques The example flight in Part 4 of this book will cover the Center/approach control actions more from a pilot’s standpoint. As far as communications techniques are concerned, here are some tips:

Part Two / Navigation and Communications

1. Listen before you transmit. Many times you can get the information you want through ATIS or by monitoring the frequency. Except for a few situations where some frequency overlap occurs, if you hear someone else talking, the keying of your transmitter will be futile and you will probably jam their receivers, causing them to repeat their call. If you have just changed frequencies, pause, listen, and make sure the frequency is clear before transmitting. 2. Think before keying your transmitter. Know what you want to say and if it is lengthy (for example, a flight plan or IFR position report) jot it down. (But do not lock your head in the cockpit.) 3. The microphone should be very close to your lips and after pressing the mike button, a slight pause may be necessary to be sure the first word is transmitted. Speak in a normal conversational tone. 4. When you release the button, wait a few seconds before calling again. The controller or FSS specialist may be jotting down your number, looking for your flight plan, transmitting on a different frequency, or be in the process of selecting your frequency. 5. Be alert to the sounds or lack of sounds in your receiver. Check your volume, recheck your frequency, and make sure that your microphone is not stuck in the transmit position. 6. Be sure that you are within the performance range of your radio equipment and the ground station equipment. Remote radio sites do not always transmit and receive on all of a facility’s available frequencies, particularly with regard to VOR sites where you can hear from a ground station but not reach its receiver. Remember that a higher altitude increases the range of VHF line-of-sight communications.

Part Three Planning the Instrument Flight

3

7

Weather Systems and Planning Before working out the navigation, you’d better check the weather to see whether you can go or not and to get some wind information for estimating groundspeeds. In order to do this, review the weather systems and hazards and weather services available. This book is not going into detail on meteorological theory. There are complete books — and good ones — dedicated to weather (see bibliography at the end of the book). While it might be nice to know that the low ceilings at your destination airport were created by a Maritime Tropical or Maritime Polar air mass, it still doesn’t alter the fact that certain conditions exist, and you’ll have to cope with them or cancel the flight. In fact, you may not have access to information as to the type of air mass involved, but you will have ceilings, visibilities, temperatures, and other information that will tell you what to expect.

just as the clockwise (and outward) circulation around a “High” is caused by the high pressure and the earth’s rotation. The effect of the earth’s rotation is called the “Coriolis effect” and is a good conversational gambit if nothing else is available. Buys-Ballot’s law states that, in the Northern Hemisphere if you stand with your back to the wind and stick out your left hand, you will be pointing to the low-pressure area. However, local effects could be such (obstructions, etc.) that you are merely pointing to the left at some object of dubious interest. You’ll do better to check weather information. Lines connecting points of equal pressure are called isobars (Figure 7-1). Elongated high-pressure systems are called ridges. The equivalent low-pressure shapes are called troughs. A col is a neutral area between two lows and two highs.

Pressure Areas You’ve been watching TV weather reports long enough to have gained a good idea of how pressure areas affect the weather (and studied it in getting your private certificate). High-pressure areas, you’ve learned, usually mean good weather. Low-pressure areas usually mean less than good weather. Sometimes, the circulation around a high-pressure area (clockwise and outward in the Northern Hemisphere) can pull warm moist air into an area, where it is cooled and condensed to such an extent that fog and/or low clouds are formed (Figure 7-1). The circulation around a “Low” in the Northern Hemisphere is counterclockwise and inward, caused by a combination of low pressure and the earth’s rotation,

Figure 7-1. Pressure areas and isobars.

7-1

7-2

Frontal Systems Fronts in General A front is a boundary between two air masses of different character. Although a front is considered to be a sharply defined line, it may be many miles in width. The more different the characteristics of the two air masses, the more defined the frontal zone. Figure 7-2 shows a sample weather system with pressure patterns and frontal systems existing at a particular time. Some weather is the result of circulation or local conditions, but most problems are caused by frontal systems. Let’s examine the weather associated with the various types of fronts.

Cold Front Figure 7-3 is the cross section of a cold front as indicated by A–A in Figure 7-2 (looking in the direction of the arrows) . The cold front normally contains more violent weather than the warm front, and the band of clouds and precipitation is narrower. The faster the front moves, the more violent the weather ahead of it. Cold fronts normally move at about 20–25 knots, but some (called “fast-moving cold fronts” for obvious reasons) move as fast as 60 knots.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

The slope of the front, as indicated in Figure 7-3, is exaggerated. Slopes of cold fronts vary from 1:50 to 1:150 and average about 1:80. The “top” of the cold air mass would be at 1 mile altitude at a position 80 miles behind the surface position of the front. In the Northern Hemisphere, strong cold fronts are usually oriented in a northeast-southwest direction and move east or southeast. As a typical cold front approaches, the southerly winds in the warm air ahead pick up in velocity. Altocumulus clouds move in from the direction from which the front is approaching. The barometric pressure decreases rapidly (Figure 7-4). The ceiling will lower rapidly as the cumulonimbus clouds move in. Rain will occur and will intensify as the front approaches. After frontal passage, the wind will shift to westerly or northerly, and the pressure rises in short order. Rapid clearing (with lower temperatures and dew points) is the usual rule after the cold front passage. The surface winds are likely to be strong and gusty. A slow-moving cold front may have a wider band of weather with lesser buildups and may have many of the characteristics of a warm front if the warm air is stable. Squall Lines Sometimes a solid line of thunderstorms develops in front of a rapidly moving cold front. Such “squall lines” may extend up to 40,000 feet with isolated buildups to

Figure 7-2. Fronts and pressure areas as they would be depicted on a current surface weather map.

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

Figure 7-3. Cross section of a cold front.

Figure 7-4. As the cold front approaches, there is a drop in pressure.

60,000–70,000 feet. The squall line sometimes is found 50–300 miles ahead of the front and is aligned generally parallel to it.

Warm Front The warm front normally has a wider band of less violent weather (it says here), and ceilings and visibilities are low. The warm front may hang around for days. More than one pilot (instrument-rated) has had to sit staring at the four walls of a hotel room because practically half the country (his half) was below IFR minimums. Figure 7-5 shows the cross section of a “typical” warm front, as shown by the B–B in Figure 7-2. (You are looking the way the arrows are pointing in Figure 7-2.) The slope of the warm front is about 1:100 as an average, but slopes may vary from 1:50 to 1:200. The warm front moves about one-half as fast as the cold front, and since the band of weather is much broader, the result is that it can be in the area a longer time.

7-3

Figure 7-5. Cross section of a warm front (warm air stable). Rain falls out of the warm air (clouds); if the cold air is below 32°F, freezing rain results.

In Figure 7-5 the warm air is stable, which means that stratus-type clouds would be expected to predominate. If the warm air is unstable, clouds of vertical development may be found. In the winter, freezing rain may be encountered if the cold air ahead of the front is below freezing. If freezing rain is encountered, declare an emergency and seriously consider climbing as an escape. The air above the front line is warm, and the rain will be in its usual liquid form. (ATC would be interested in your altitude or heading changes if you are IFR or plan on getting into the clouds.) You can expect to have to descend through it, and you should make the transition as expeditiously as possible without overdoing it. (Another option is to make a 180° turn.) Incidentally, you are required by the FAA regulations to report encountering any icing, and freezing rain qualifies very well in this regard.

Occluded Front The fact that the cold front moves faster than the warm front can result in a situation such as the occluded front. Figure 7-6 shows the cross section of “typical” coldand warm-front occlusions as shown at C–C. Notice that by sliding under the cool and warm air, the cold air has created an upper warm-front condition. As the occlusion develops, the warm-front cloud system disappears, and the weather and clouds are similar to conditions associated with a cold front. The warm-front occlusion is less common than the cold-front occlusion. In this case the air ahead of the warm front is colder than that behind the cold front. The cool air moves up over the denser cold air. The surface weather would be similar to that of a warm front; but in flying through the occlusion during its initial stages, you might expect to encounter weather of both types of fronts,

7-4

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Figure 7-6. Warm- and cold-type occluded fronts.

with thunderstorms within stratus cloud areas. As the development progresses, the severity of the associated weather decreases.

Stationary Front Sometimes the pressures and circulation on each side of a front act in such a way as to stop the frontal movement. Such a front is naturally called a stationary front, which is as good a name as any. The weather associated with a stationary front is a milder form of warm-front clouds and precipitation. The problem is that if the front bogs down, the weather can be from below average to unsatisfactory for several days until things get moving again.

Clouds Before now your interest in clouds has been academic. You were mostly interested in (1) the heights of the bases, (2) the amount of cloud cover, and (3) whether various forms of precipitation could fall out on you. Now their internal characteristics will be of prime importance. Clouds are broken down into families according to their heights: Low clouds — The bases are found from the surface to 6,500 feet in middle latitudes. Middle clouds — The bases are found from 6,500 to 23,000 feet. High clouds — The bases are found at heights from 16,500 up to 45,000 feet. Clouds with extensive vertical development — The height of the cloud bases may be from 1,000 to 10,000 feet. The cloud can, in extreme cases, extend up to 60,000–70,000 feet. The clouds are further described by their form and appearance. The puffy or billowy type formed by

local vertical currents are called “cumulus,” and those formed of widespread (or fairly widespread) layers have the term “stratus” or “strata” somewhere in the name. Figure 7-7 shows some representative clouds of the various families. A cloud with the term “nimbo” or “nimbus” in the name is expected to produce precipitation. Flying near clouds of stratus formation, you would expect fairly smooth air. Cumulus clouds, by their very nature, are the product of air conditions that indicate the presence of vertical currents. Clouds are composed of minute ice crystals or water droplets and are the result of moist air being cooled to the point of condensation. The high clouds (cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus) are composed of extremely fine ice crystals. When the water droplets become a certain size, rain results (or snow or sleet, depending on the conditions). Hail is a form of precipitation associated with cumulonimbus clouds and is the result of rain being lifted by vertical currents until it reaches an altitude where it freezes and is carried downward again. The cycle may be repeated several times, giving the larger hailstones their characteristic “layers,” or strata. Turbulence can be found near these clouds, and hail can fall from the “anvil head” into what could appear to be a clear area. Clouds may be composed of supercooled moisture. The impact of your airplane on these particles causes them to freeze immediately on the airplane. Since clouds are formed by moist air being cooled to the point of condensation, this leads to the subject of lapse rates. For dry air, the adiabatic lapse rate is 5.5°F/1,000 feet. (Adiabatic refers to a process during which no heat is withdrawn or added to the system or body concerned.) The normal lapse rate for “average” air is 3.5°F, or 2°C. The moist adiabatic lapse rate is produced by convection in a saturated atmosphere, such as within a cumulus cloud. At high temperatures, it will be 1–1.7°C/1,000

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

7-5

Figure 7-7. Some cloud types.

feet, and at low temperatures, it will be in the vicinity of 2–3°C. The dew point lapse rate is about 0.5°C/1,000 feet. For cumulus clouds that are formed by surface heating, the base of the clouds may be estimated by the rate at which the dry lapse rate “catches” the dew point. (The dry lapse rate is 3°C and the dew point drop is 0.5°C, so the temperature is dropping 2.5°C faster than the dew point, per thousand feet.) Assume the surface temperature is 25°C and the dew point is 15°C, a difference of 10°C. Dividing this number by 2.5, it is found that the temperature and dew point make connections at 4,000 feet—the approximate base of the clouds. This works only for the type of cloud formed by surface heating and is not suitable for locations in mountainous or hilly terrain. When clouds have a temperature of between 0° and –15°C, they consist mostly of supercooled water droplets with some ice crystals. There’s an old physics experiment in which distilled water is cooled very slowly and remains liquid below 0°C until the container is jostled or other outside factors are introduced; then it freezes instantly. In the case of the supercooled water droplets in the cloud, your airplane is the outside factor. The shock of the airplane flying into the particles can cause them to freeze on the surface, but in-flight icing will be covered in more detail later.

When the temperature within the cloud is lower than –15°C, the cloud is usually composed entirely of ice crystals. As you have noted in your flying, the addition of nuclei to moist air can result in the formation of clouds or fog. Specks of dust or smoke form the center of the particles, and airports located in river bottoms near industrial plants are notorious for being socked in when everything else is good VFR. When moist air is orographically lifted (moved up a slope), it may be cooled and condensed to the point where clouds are formed. If the warm moist air is unstable to begin with, the result may be well-developed cumuliform clouds.

Hazards to Flight Thunderstorms Thunderstorms constitute a real menace to the instrument pilot because it is possible to fly into one with little or no warning. Airborne radar has been of great value in finding “soft spots” (or comparatively soft spots). ATC radar and downloaded NEXRAD radar can be of great value in avoiding thunderstorms and turbulence. Be cautious of any time lag in the downloaded radar

7-6

data; at least one fatal accident was caused by the pilot being unaware of the sometimes minutes-long lag and flying into rapidly moving weather that ARTCC had warned him about. Figure 7-8 shows a display of airborne radar on the weather display mode. The set displays weather in four colors, but since this illustration is in black and white, numbers have been inserted to give the relative weather (rain) intensities. Weather radar can give a clue to the presence of turbulence. Areas of the display where the colors change rapidly over a short distance represent steep rainfall gradients, which are usually associated with severe turbulence. It’s suggested that you always maintain at least 10 NM separation between any weather displayed and your aircraft. A big problem (one of your big problems) will be turbulence within the cell. Updrafts and downdrafts may cause structural failure of the airplane or loss of control. If you’ve made some bad decisions and are about to penetrate a thunderstorm, you’ll want to slow the airplane below maneuvering speed or to the manufacturer’s recommended turbulence penetration speed. Secure all loose gear. Set your power to maintain level altitude at the recommended speed before penetration and leave the power alone. Fly a straight-and-level attitude.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Don’t, repeat, don’t try to maintain a constant altitude (height). In attempting to keep at the same altitude, you may put extreme stresses on the airplane. You fly into an updraft and shove the nose over — just as you hit a violent downdraft. Remember that even near the cells the air can be extremely violent, and many a VFR pilot has found out about “sucker holes” when trying to fly between cells. Maneuvering and Gust Envelopes Editor’s note: The following discussion is based on the old 14 CFR Part 23. At the time of this writing, no aircraft have been certificated under the new rule. This discussion gives good insight into the relationship between vertical gusts, airspeed, stall, and stress, regardless of the particulars of certification. Turbulence and strong vertical gusts are associated with thunderstorms. Figure 7-9 shows the gust envelope of a four-place general aviation airplane at a gross weight of 2,650 pounds, using 15 and 30 fps instantaneous vertical gusts up (+) and down (–) as indicated. As the airspeed increases, the effects of a particular gust value also increase; for instance, in Figure 7-9, at 86 knots (3) a 30-fps up-gust results in about 2.6 positive g’s being imposed on the airframe just as it stalls. So in this example if the airplane was flying at a calibrated airspeed of less than 86 knots and encountered a 30-fps up-gust, it would stall (a transient condition;

Figure 7-8. Digital weather radar indications. The actual scope would show colors indicating the intensity of the precipitation (and can warn of possible turbulence). Check the numbers in this black and white presentation. (1) Green — very light rain, 1–4 mm/hr. (2) Yellow — light to medium rain, 4–12 mm/hr. (3) Red — heavy rain, 12–50 mm/hr. (4) Magenta — very heavy rain, over 50 mm or 2 in./hr. (Bendix-King)

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

7-7

the airplane would soon be flying again — at least away from the effects of that particular gust). At 148 knots (4) the same 30-fps gust intercepts the 3.8 positive g limit line of the maneuvering envelope. If the airplane was flying at an airspeed of about 68 knots (5) and encountered a 15-fps up-gust, approximately 1.6 g’s would result just as it stalled (Figure 7-9). The stall relieves the stress imposed on the airplane by either a gust or the pilot’s yanking back on the stick or wheel. If you were thinking in terms of neither stalling nor exceeding the 3.8 g positive load factor when flying in turbulence with 30-fps positive gusts, the airspeed range to stay within at the 2,650-lb weight is to fly no slower than 86 knots and no faster than 148 knots, a

range shown in Figure 7-9 to be 62 knots. The ideal airspeed would then seem to be at a midpoint in this range, or 117 knots (6). The maneuvering speed (VA ) is shown in Figure 7-9 as being 104 knots (7), and this is within the range of 86–148 knots discussed and is slightly toward the stall or lower portion of the “safe” range for 30-fps gust penetration. This leads to the assumption that VA would be a reasonable airspeed to assume in the event that 30-fps vertical gusts are being encountered. The problem is that VA is not known at a particular time of flight because it decreases as airplane weight decreases. (Actually, it decreases as the square root of the weight decrease, but more about that later.)

5 4

2

LOAD FACTOR – Gs

3 2

+30

1

fps

t

Gus

s Gust

+15 fp

RANGE - 62 Knots

1 –15 fps

0

–30

-1

Gust

fps G

ust

-2 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

CALIBRATED AIRSPEED – Knots

Figure 7-9. Gust envelope (1) superimposed on a maneuvering envelope (2) of an airplane at its maximum weight of 2,650 pounds. Gust values of 15 and 30 fps instantaneous gust effects are used here to show the idea of the airplane’s reaction to vertical gusts. Some later envelopes use 25- and 50-fps gusts but add a gust alleviation factor that brings the effects close to the instantaneous values shown. VS is the stall speed at 1 g at 2,650 pounds, and VA is the maneuvering speed at that weight. Note that the “allowed gust value” decreases to less than +30 fps above 141 knots. This is a manmade limitation and the actual, physical gust effects continue to increase with increased airspeed. (If you extend the +30 fps gust line to 180 knots, about 4.3 +g’s would result.) Always use the Pilot’s Operating Handbook references for best turbulence penetration airspeeds for your airplane.

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Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Figure 7-10 shows the maneuver and gust envelopes for the airplane in Figure 7-9 at the manufacturer’s minimum flying weight of 1,665 pounds, which by definition is the basic empty weight plus the minimum crew required at 170 pounds each and the fuel necessary for ½ hour of operation at max continuous power. You aren’t likely to be flying IFR at that weight, but Figures 7-9 and 7-10 are included to show the extremes. Note in Figure 7-10 that the stall induced by the 30-fps gust would occur (at 1,665 lb) at about 71 knots (4), and the speed exceeding the 3.8 positive load factor is at about 109 knots (5), giving a “safe range” of about 38 knots. The midrange speed for avoiding either the stall or exceeding 3.8 positive g’s is 90 knots (6). A rule of thumb might be used to find the maneuvering and safe midpoint airspeeds at lower weights:

Decrease VA or the midpoint safe airspeed by one-half the percentage of the weight change. If the weight decreases 20%, decrease the original airspeed by onehalf that amount, or 10%. As an example, using the maneuvering speeds at the two weights of the airplane (2,650 and 1,665 lb), it can be seen that the weight has decreased by 985 pounds, or 37%. The VA should decrease by one-half, or 18.5% (call it 19%), or by about 21 knots, to 83 knots. This is close enough to the computed value (82 knots in Figure 7-10) to be useful (7). Looking at the midrange safety airspeeds for 30-fps gusts, the same idea could be used. The airspeed for 2,650 pounds was 117 knots, and at 1,665 pounds it was 90 knots. Following the rule of thumb used earlier for the maneuvering speed, the weight has decreased by 37%, so the safe speed of 117 knots should also be

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CALIBRATED AIRSPEED – Knots

Figure 7-10. The gust (1), maneuvering (2), and combined envelope (3) for the airplane of Figure 7-9 at the minimum flying weight of 1,665 pounds. The combined envelope is the maneuvering envelope with extensions as developed by the manufacturer to meet gust effects at lower weights as required by 14 CFR Part 23 and might be considered the “maneuver envelope with lumps.”

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

decreased by one-half of the weight decrease (19%, or approximately 22 knots) to 95 knots. This is slightly higher than the 90 knots calculated for the minimum weight but will be safe at that weight and higher intermediate weights. The discussion on safe airspeed ranges assumed in Figure 7-10 that it was unsafe to penetrate an area of 30-fps gusts at any airspeed greater than 109 knots (5) where the result puts the load factor outside the maneuvering envelope maximum of 3.8 positive g’s. After calculating that the 30-fps gust would put the airplane outside the envelope at lower weights, the manufacturer must design the structure and components to sustain those g values. The result of these calculations is the limit combined envelope (item 3 in Figure 7-10). In Figure 7-10 at the design cruise speed (Vc ) of 142 knots (8), the airplane would sustain approximately 4.75 g’s in hitting a 30-fps instantaneous up-gust. The limitation of 3.8 g’s was used to show the increasing effects of particular gust values as weight decreased. In short, as the airplane gets lighter, you can expect a rougher ride in turbulence; a particular gust velocity can cause higher acceleration on the airplane for a given airspeed. Other Points on Turbulence The “altitude hold” portion of the autopilot should be off, or the airplane can be overstressed as the equipment tries to do an impossible job of maintaining a constant altitude. Maybe you haven’t flown into severe or extreme turbulence and don’t realize that you may be bouncing around so much that the instruments are very hard to read, and since you are IFR, this can be an interesting situation.

Figure 7-11. Flying through thunderstorms can be a “rending” experience.

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Figure 7-12 is a turbulence criteria table for your and the airplane’s reaction to various intensities of turbulence. Precipitation static will be a problem for the LF/MF equipment in heavy rain or snow, so you might as well turn the volume down. Attempting ADF tracking in a thunderstorm or thunderstorm area can be one of the biggest wastes of time in your flying career. You’ll be busy enough trying to keep the airplane under control. Try to maintain as near a constant heading as possible. Pick a heading that should get you out in the shortest time — you wouldn’t want to go through a squall line the long way. Because of lightning flashes, it would be best to have the cockpit lights full bright during night penetrations. You’ll lose your night vision anyway and shouldn’t be looking out at this stage. Lightning has damaged airplanes on occasion, but this relatively rare possibility will be of secondary importance compared with what turbulence and hail can do to you. The AIM sums up thunderstorm flying techniques:

A. Thunderstorm Avoidance. Never regard any thunderstorm lightly, even when radar echoes are of light intensity. Avoiding thunderstorms is the best policy. Following are some Do’s and Don’ts of thunderstorm avoidance: (1) Don’t land or takeoff in the face of an approaching thunderstorm. A sudden gust front of low-level turbulence could cause loss of control. (2) Don’t attempt to fly under a thunderstorm even if you can see through to the other side. Turbulence and wind shear under the storm could be hazardous. (3) Don’t attempt to fly under the anvil of a thunderstorm. There is a potential for severe and extreme clear air turbulence. (4) Don’t fly without airborne radar into a cloud mass containing scattered embedded thunderstorms. Scattered thunderstorms not embedded usually can be visually circumnavigated. (5) Don’t trust the visual appearance to be a reliable indicator of the turbulence inside a thunderstorm. (6) Don’t assume that ATC will offer radar navigation guidance or deviations around thunderstorms. (7) Don’t use data-linked weather next generation weather radar (NEXRAD) mosaic imagery as the sole means for negotiating a path through a thunderstorm area (tactical maneuvering).

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Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

(8) Do remember that the data-linked NEXRAD mosaic imagery shows where the weather was, not where the weather is. The weather conditions may be 15 to 20 minutes older than the age indicated on the display. (9) Do listen to chatter on the ATC frequency for Pilot Weather Reports (PIREP) and other aircraft requesting to deviate or divert. (10) Do ask ATC for radar navigation guidance or to approve deviations around thunderstorms, if needed. (11) Do use data-linked weather NEXRAD mosaic imagery (for example, Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B)) for route selection to avoid thunderstorms entirely (strategic maneuvering). (12) Do advise ATC, when switched to another controller, that you are deviating for thunderstorms before accepting to rejoin the original route. (13) Do ensure that after an authorized weather deviation, before accepting to rejoin the original route, that the route of flight is clear of thunderstorms.

(14) Do avoid by at least 20 miles any thunderstorm identified as severe or giving an intense radar echo. This is especially true under the anvil of a large cumulonimbus. (15) Do circumnavigate the entire area if the area has 6/10 thunderstorm coverage. (16) Do remember that vivid and frequent lightning indicates the probability of a severe thunderstorm. (17) Do regard as extremely hazardous any thunderstorm with tops 35,000 feet or higher whether the top is visually sighted or determined by radar. (18) Do give a PIREP for the flight conditions. (19) Do divert and wait out the thunderstorms on the ground if unable to navigate around an area of thunderstorms. (20) Do contact Flight Service for assistance in avoiding thunderstorms. Flight Service specialists have NEXRAD mosaic radar imagery and NEXRAD single site radar with unique features such as base and composite reflectivity, echo tops, and VAD wind profiles.

Turbulence Reporting Criteria Table Intensity Light

Moderate

Severe

Aircraft Reaction Reaction Inside Aircraft Turbulence that momentarily causes slight, Occupants may feel a slight strain erratic changes in altitude and/or attitude against seat belts or shoulder straps. (pitch, roll, yaw). Report as Light Turbulence;1 Unsecured objects may be displaced or slightly. Food service may be Turbulence that causes slight, rapid and conducted and little or no difficulty is somewhat rhythmic bumpiness without encountered in walking. appreciable changes in altitude or attitude. Report as Light Chop. Occupants feel definite strains Turbulence that is similar to Light Turbulence against seat belts or shoulder straps. but of greater intensity. Changes in altitude Unsecured objects are dislodged. and/or attitude occur but the aircraft remains Food service and walking are difficult. in positive control at all times. It usually causes variations in indicated airspeed. Report as 1 Moderate Turbulence; or Turbulence that is similar to Light Chop but of greater intensity. It causes rapid bumps or jolts without appreciable changes in aircraft altitude or attitude. Report as Moderate Chop.1 Occupants are forced violently Turbulence that causes large, abrupt changes against seat belts or shoulder straps. in altitude and/or attitude. It usually causes Unsecured objects are tossed large variations in indicated airspeed. Aircraft about. Food Service and walking are may be momentarily out of control. Report as impossible. Severe Turbulence.1

Extreme

Reporting Term: Definition Occasional: Less than 1/3 of the time Intermittent: 1/3 to 2/3 Continuous: More than 2/3 Notes 1. Pilots should report location(s), time (UTC), intensity, whether in or near clouds, altitude, type of aircraft and, when applicable, duration of turbulence. 2. Duration may be based on time between two locations or over a single location. All locations should be readily identifiable. Examples a. Over Omaha. 1232Z, Moderate Turbulence, in cloud, Flight Level 310, B707. b. From 50 miles south of Albuquerque to 30 miles north of Phoenix, 1210Z to 1250Z, occasional Moderate Chop, Flight Level 330, DC8.

Turbulence in which the aircraft is violently tossed about and is practically impossible to control. It may cause structural damage. Report as Extreme Turbulence.1 1 High level turbulence (normally above 15,000 feet ASL) not associated with cumuliform cloudiness, including thunderstorms, should be reported as CAT (clear air turbulence) preceded by the appropriate intensity, or light or moderate chop.

Figure 7-12. Intensities of turbulence. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual)

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning





B. If you cannot avoid penetrating a thunderstorm, following are some Do’s before entering the storm: (1) Tighten your safety belt, put on your shoulder harness if you have one, and secure all loose objects. (2) Plan and hold your course to take you through the storm in a minimum time. (3) To avoid the most critical icing, establish a penetration altitude below the freezing level or above the level of –15°C. (4) Verify that pitot heat is on and turn on carburetor heat or jet engine anti-ice. Icing can be rapid at any altitude and cause almost instantaneous power failure and/or loss of airspeed indication. (5) Establish power settings for turbulence penetration airspeed recommended in your aircraft manual. (6) Turn up cockpit lights to highest intensity to lessen temporary blindness from lightning. (7) If using automatic pilot, disengage altitude hold mode and speed hold mode. The automatic altitude and speed controls will increase maneuvers of the aircraft thus increasing structural stress. (8) If using airborne radar, tilt the antenna up and down occasionally. This will permit you to detect other thunderstorm activity at altitudes other than the one being flown. C. Following are some Do’s and Don’ts during the thunderstorm penetration: (1) Do keep your eyes on your instruments. Looking outside the cockpit can increase danger of temporary blindness from lightning. (2) Don’t change power settings; maintain settings for the recommended turbulence penetration airspeed. (3) Do maintain constant attitude. Allow the altitude and airspeed to fluctuate. (4) Don’t turn back once you are in the thunderstorm. A straight course through the storm most likely will get the aircraft out of the hazards most quickly. In addition, turning maneuvers increase stress on the aircraft.

Never jeopardize control for voice transmissions. If ATC calls when you are hard put to just fly the airplane, tell them to wait; or if necessary, hang on to the controls and forget the mike and let them worry also.

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Icing Area forecasts are a good source to check for possible structural icing along your route. Carburetor Ice You’ve probably had experience with carburetor ice and know that it is “not the heat (or lack of it) but the humidity” that is the big factor concerned. Carburetor icing can occur on warm days without a cloud in the sky. The warm moist air enters the carburetor, where it is cooled by the combination of two factors: (1) the vaporization of the fuel and (2) the venturi effect of pressure change through the carburetor. The temperature drop will vary but may be up to 72°F. If the resulting temperature is below freezing, ice forms in the venturi and downstream in the intake system. As a review of the indications of carburetor ice: For the airplane with a fixed-pitch propeller, the rpm creeps off with no change in throttle position. Pulling the carburetor heat results in a still further drop in rpm — and that’s where many pilots make a mistake; they don’t leave the heat ON long enough but push it off with a feeling of well-being (no ice). Leave the heat on for at least 10 seconds. If there is ice, the rpm will pick up from its even lower setting. When you push the heat OFF, the rpm will pick up sharply, particularly if you have been unconsciously easing the throttle forward to take care of the ice-caused power loss. If there is a lot of ice, it may cause a temporary roughness as the deluge goes through the engine. A manifold pressure loss is the big indicator of ice for the airplane with a constant-speed propeller. The governor will mask the power drop (the blades flatten out to maintain the preset rpm). When heat is applied, the manifold pressure will drop further and will pick up past the manifold pressure at which the heat is finally activated after the ice is cleared out and the heat is pushed off. Carburetor air temperature gauges or inlet air temperature gauges can be a great aid in preventing carb ice problems. The use of full or partial heat depends on the airplane. Usually, for light trainers, it’s all or nothing. For bigger airplanes, particularly those with carburetor air temperature gauges, partial heat is fine. Some of the bigger systems can cut down power by nearly 20% when on full heat. Use of heat while taxiing can be bad. In most cases the carburetor heat system is taking in unfiltered air; and dust, sand, and other foreign material can be sent through the engine. If the air scoop becomes iced over, the alternate air system can save the day (Figure 7-13 on the next page).

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Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Clear ice — You’ve seen this type of ice in “ice storms” (freezing rain). It’s clear, solid, and very hard to remove. Clear ice is the result of large droplets and comparatively slow freezing. It is normally smoother than rime ice, unless solid precipitation (snow, sleet, or small hail) is trapped in it — this results in an airflow spoiling, hard-to-remove combination.

Figure 7-13. Engine suction opens the spring-loaded door and allows the warm air from the engine compartment to enter the carburetor. Alternate air (or its equivalent) may be manually selected also. For some airplanes, this may result in a 10% loss of power at full throttle.

The warm air, being less dense than the outside air, causes some loss in power, but that is much better than a total power loss. Carburetor heat tends to richen the mixture, so further leaning may be required during its use. Naturally, the Pilot’s Operating Handbook or equivalent information will take precedent for a particular airplane. Structural Icing The air scoop icing situation just mentioned occurs when structural icing is the big problem. The windshield, wings, empennage, props, antennas, etc. will also be gaining weight and adding drag. In most cases the weight of the added ice will be a comparatively minor factor — the drag increase, thrust decrease (for prop icing), and lift decrease are the factors that cause the big problems. Structural icing is broken down into two main types (but they may be mixed at any particular time): Rime ice — This is a milky granular deposit of ice with a rough surface. It’s formed by instantaneous freezing of small supercooled water droplets as the airplane encounters them. Rime ice contains trapped air that contributes to its appearance and brittleness. Rime ice forms on leading edges and protrudes forward as a sharp nose. It is more easily removed than clear ice but spoils the airflow more because of its roughness. Rime ice is most often found in stratus clouds but may also be present in cumulus buildups at temperatures below –10°C. Rime ice is somewhat similar in appearance to the thick frost in the ice compartment of an older type of home refrigerator but is rougher.

The accretion rate of structural ice depends primarily on (1) the amount of liquid water, (2) the drop size, (3) the airspeed, and (4) the size and shape of the airfoil. If you fly into an area of icing, it would be well to remember that, up to about 400 knots, ice collection increases with speed. Above this, frictional heating of the skin tends to lessen the chances of the ice sticking. The effects of icing on the airplane are all bad. Lift (for a given angle of attack) decreases, thrust falls off, drag and weight increase. The stall speed rises sharply. If your airplane has a stabilator, you should be aware of the possibility that the airflow disturbance and effects of the weight of ice on the leading edge could cause you to overcontrol at low speeds (it depends on how closely balanced the flying tail is in the clean condition). This should be something to consider if you still have ice on the airplane during the approach, since the tail may be the more critical structure in heavy icing conditions. More information is available both in print, on video, and online by searching for information on airplane deicing systems, in-flight icing and tailplane icing. Deicing and Anti-Icing Systems Ice on the wings and tail can be removed by pneumatic deicer “boots,” heat, or chemical fluid being continually “oozed out” through orifices in the leading edge. Systems using a “weeping wing” and a special mixture of glycol, alcohol and water are becoming more prevalent. The system has leading edge panels with hundreds of tiny holes per square inch. A pump sends the fluid to the leading edge panels, a propellor ring, and a pilot activated distribution tube at the lower edge of the windshield in front of the pilot. The systems use about 2 gallons of fluid per hour. Although they are more for anti-icing, these fluid systems can be used for de-icing and may even be certified for flight into known icing conditions. These systems come installed on some new models and can be retro-fitted to certain aircraft types. On older airplanes, the deicer boot is more common. It expands in sections, and the ice is broken up to be blown away in the airstream. In heavy icing conditions, they may have to be operated continuously. The pneumatic boot system normally operates through the vacuum or pressure pump system, and “all-weather” twins usually have a pump on each engine, each capable

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

of carrying the deicer load plus that required for the pressure- or vacuum-driven instruments. The term “allweather” is not a good one, since some weather is too severe to be safely penetrated. The boot system usually has a timer that inflates and deflates the boot sections when the pilot actuates the sequence. The deicer boots come in spanwise tube installations, as shown by Figure 7-14.

Figure 7-14. Cross section of an inflated deicer boot. (Courtesy of B.F. Goodrich)

During your training, or later when you are flying that deicer-equipped airplane, climb to altitude VFR and test the stall characteristics of the airplane with the deicers working to check the possibility of landing in that condition if necessary. Your airplane may have a placard or warning against landing with the deicer boots working, and you must follow this. Other airplanes note that the stall speed is increased. It’s also likely that ice remaining on the wing during the landing will be much more disturbing to the flight characteristics than the operating boots, but check any limitations for your airplane. The other method of clearing ice from the wings is to circulate hot air from the engine inside the wing structure so that it is warm enough to prevent freezing on the leading edge. This system is most commonly used on airliners. The disadvantages of this system are that a considerable amount of power is used for the heat, and the thawing ice may slide rearward and refreeze on the unheated part of the structure. The heating of the boundary layer (the layer of air next to the wing surface) causes it to become more unstable, with possible slight changes in stall characteristics, but this is considered to be a very minor problem. There are commercial products available that are designed to decrease the holding power of ice. Some are used on the bare (or painted) wing, and others are used on the boots to decrease ice adhesion and aid in the breakaway process.

7-13

For fighting propeller icing, there are two main methods: (1) fluid anti-icing and (2) electric deicing. The fluid (an alcohol mixture) is thrown out along the blades by centrifugal force and is most effective if the procedure is initiated before ice starts accumulating. The propeller blades may have rubber “feed shoes” to direct the fluid in the most effective direction. Fluid is used as necessary to keep the blades “wet.” If the other parts of the airplane are beginning to pick up ice, you can expect that the prop(s) is also getting its share. The anti-icing (fluid) systems have recommendations as to the procedure to be used. The amount of fluid available is limited but will last long enough to cover most icing situations if conserved. Because of the propeller’s faster speed and higher ice-collection efficiency (due to the small leading-edge radius of the blade), icing may occur on the propeller before it becomes apparent on other aircraft surfaces. That being the case, you should consider turning on the prop deicer before entering icing conditions or as soon as icing is evident. Turning on the deicers early will avoid shedding large ice particles that can impact on the fuselage of most twin-engine airplanes. (Such impacting will never fail to get your attention, and the results may be seen in the form of dents on the side of the fuselage in line with the prop blades.) Icing can cause problems on antennas and in extreme conditions may cause them to be carried away. This is somewhat disconcerting particularly if, for instance, both VOR receivers are using that one antenna. Windshield icing can sometimes be more of a menace than ice on other parts of the plane. The small storm pane in the side window has been a great aid for more than one pilot in landing the airplane with a load of windshield ice. Freezing rain is particularly bad in this regard because the ice film may be forming fast and thick and can get well ahead of the windshield defroster. Do whatever your Pilot’s Operating Handbook says to get the maximum defrosting effect. You may have to deflect some of the cabin heat to get added defrost heat. It’s better to be uncomfortable and be able to see out than vice versa. Icing of the pitot tube and static vent can be a problem. If you expect icing or if it’s starting, use the pitot heat. Pitot heat is a severe drain on the electrical system, so its use should be tempered with judgment if communications and navigation equipment are already using large electrical loads. Check the volt-ammeter when the heat is turned on — its effect will be indicated. See Figure 2-32.

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Check back in Chapter 2 now for a review of alternate static system effects on the airspeed and altimeter indications and be prepared to use that system as necessary in icing conditions. The AIM has some good advice on icing and particularly on reporting icing conditions (PIREPs) in flight: 1. Trace — Ice becomes perceptible. The rate of accumulation is slightly higher than the rate of sublimation. It is not hazardous even though deicing/ anti-icing equipment is not utilized unless encountered for an extended period of time (over 1 hour). 2. Light — The rate of accumulation may create a problem if flight is prolonged in this environment (over 1 hour). Occasional use of deicing/anti-icing equipment removes/prevents accumulation. It does not present a problem if the deicing/anti-icing equipment is used. 3. Moderate — The rate of accumulation is such that short encounters become potentially hazardous and use of deicing/anti-icing equipment or flight diversion is necessary. 4. Severe — The rate of accumulation is such that deicing/anti-icing equipment fails to reduce or control the hazard. Immediate flight diversion is necessary. There will be more about PIREPs later in the chapter. The windshield may frost over on high-performance airplanes when a fast letdown is made from subfreezing temperatures to warm moist air. The surface of the windshield and airframe is still cold enough so that the moist air freezes on contact. You may go to your airplane after it has been tied out for some time and find that it’s covered with ice. Obviously, hot water will soon freeze, and you’d be back where you started, or worse, if you poured it on the plane. One thing sometimes forgotten by pilots who move an icy plane into a heated hangar is that the water from the melting ice can collect in control surface hinges, landing gear assemblies, and other vital spots. When the plane is moved back out into the freezing temperature, the water refreezes, and problems can result. Wipe the water out of such places and make sure they are dry before moving the plane out of the hangar. Along this same line, if you take off through puddles or slush and the temperature is near freezing, leave the gear down longer after takeoff to allow the airflow to blow off most of the moisture. Otherwise, if a large amount of water is collected on the gear and this freezes, it might cause extension problems later. In some cases, you may want to cycle the gear a time or two before leaving it up. Your actions in this case will depend on whether other factors (ceiling, visibility, and

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

obstructions) will allow cycling without risking possible loss of control. It was mentioned that accretion of ice on a stabilator in flight could cause problems. There have been incidents of control flutter and crashes immediately after takeoff caused by ice that accumulated inside or on the surfaces while the airplane was sitting on the ramp (maybe in freezing rain) or had been moved out of a heated hangar with water on (or in) the surfaces. Flutter occurred and the control surfaces were destroyed with a resulting loss of control on climb-out. Frost — This phenomenon was mentioned earlier as occurring on the windshield in flight, but an airplane left out overnight will sometimes be covered with frost. For some reason, pilots tend to ignore the effects of frost on takeoff performance, and more than one accident has been caused by an almost paper-thin coating of frost on the airplane. Frost of this type forms during clear cold nights, so you’re most likely to encounter it before early morning VFR flights; nevertheless, it’s always something to consider. As the weather books say, frost sublimates (changes directly from a solid to a gas) quickly in warmer air and in motion, but you may have flown through the airport fence before this occurs. Don’t underrate the effects of even a thin layer of frost on the airplane.

Hazards on Approach and/or Landing  Microbursts (Aeronautical Information Manual) Relatively recent meteorological studies have confirmed the existence of microburst phenomena. Microbursts are small-scale intense downdrafts that, on reaching the surface, spread outward in all directions from the downdraft center. This causes the presence of both vertical and horizontal wind shears that can be extremely hazardous to all types and categories of aircraft, especially at low altitudes. Due to their small size, short life span, and the fact that they can occur over areas without surface precipitation, microbursts are not easily detectable when using conventional weather radar or wind shear alert systems. Parent clouds producing microburst activity can be any of the low- or middle-layer convective cloud types. Note, however, that microbursts commonly occur within the heavy-rain portion of thunderstorms and in much weaker, benign-appearing convective cells that have little or no precipitation reaching the ground. Figure 7-15 shows a microburst evolution and an encounter during takeoff.

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

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Figure 7-15. Microburst history (A) and takeoff flight profile (B) in an extreme situation. (From the Aeronautical Information Manual and courtesy of FWG Associates, Tullahoma, Tennessee)

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The life cycle of a microburst as it descends in a convective rain shaft is seen in Figure 7-15A. An important consideration for pilots is the fact that the microburst intensifies for about 5 minutes after it strikes the ground. Characteristics of microbursts include: Size — The microburst downdraft is typically less than 1 mile in diameter as it descends from the cloud base to about 1,000–3,000 feet above the ground. In the transition zone near the ground, the downdraft changes to a horizontal outflow that can extend to approximately 2½ miles in diameter. Intensity — The downdrafts can be as strong as 6,000 fpm. Horizontal winds near the surface can be as strong as 45 knots, resulting in a 90-knot shear (headwind to tailwind change for a traversing aircraft) across the microburst. These strong horizontal winds occur within a few hundred feet of the ground. Visual signs — Microbursts can be found almost anywhere that there is convective activity. They may be embedded in heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm or in light rain in benign-appearing virga. When there is little or no precipitation at the surface accompanying the microburst, a ring of blowing dust may be the only visual clue of its existence. Duration — An individual microburst will seldom last longer than 15 minutes from the time it strikes the ground until dissipation. The horizontal winds continue to increase during the first 5 minutes, with the maximum-intensity winds lasting approximately 2–4 minutes. Sometimes microbursts are concentrated into a line structure, and under these conditions activity may continue for as long as an hour. Once microburst activity starts, multiple microbursts in the same general area are not uncommon and should be expected. Microburst wind shear may create a severe hazard for aircraft within 1,000 feet of the ground, particularly during the approach to landing and landing and takeoff phases. The impact of a microburst on aircraft that have the unfortunate experience of penetrating one is characterized in Figure 7-15B. The aircraft may encounter a headwind (performance-increasing), followed by a downdraft and tailwind (both performance-decreasing), possibly resulting in terrain impact. Pilots should heed wind shear PIREPs, since a previous pilot’s encounter with a microburst may be the only indication received. However, since the wind shear intensifies rapidly in its early stages, a PIREP may not indicate the current severity of a microburst. Flight in the vicinity of suspected or reported microburst activity should always be avoided. If a pilot encounters one, a wind shear PIREP should be made at once.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Low-Level Wind Shear This phenomenon has caused fatal crashes over the years and is particularly hazardous on approach because the airplane is in (usually) its dirtiest configuration, on low power, and descending. Low-level wind shear alert systems (LLWAS) have been established at selected airports around the United States. The system compares winds measured by sensors around the periphery of the airport, with the wind measured at a center field location. If the difference is excessive, windshear is present. In this situation the tower controller will provide an advisory of the situation to arriving and departing aircraft, including the center field plus the remote site location and wind. The sensors are not always associated with specific runways, so descriptions of the remote sites are based on the eight-point compass system. The radar based Weather System Processor (WSP) is replacing the LLWAS at many airports that don’t have full-scale doppler radar systems already installed. The wind shear detection system, if any, is listed in the airport Chart Supplement U.S. entry after “Weather Data Services” (Figure 7-16). Braking Action It goes without saying that, if you are on an IFR flight plan, it’s likely that you will be flying in precipitation and that it is likely to be present at either the departure or arrival airports or both. You will be concerned about braking action at the departure airport because of the possibility of an abort, and braking action certainly will affect the accelerate and stop distance (also snow and slush can be major factors in the takeoff run distance required). If you’ve filed IFR from a shorter strip, such factors could be decisive for a safe takeoff. Slush on the landing gear could freeze after retraction and en route, as noted earlier, causing a possible problem of extension on the instrument approach. (That’s what you need all right; the destination is at minimums, you barely have enough fuel to make the alternate legally, and you find that the gear won’t extend.) One suggestion for VFR flying after taking off through slush is to cycle the gear a couple of times or leave it down long enough to let the airstream clear it. Either one of these actions could be interesting in single-pilot conditions where the airplane climbs into IFR conditions at a low altitude. There could be a chance of loss of control if you’re distracted too long. Your problem may be that of braking effectiveness after breaking out and landing and also if you are making an approach and landing at an airport with shorter runways (and no tower) and, hence, have no information on braking action unless Unicom can give it. In

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

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Figure 7-16. Birmingham, Alabama, airport data (Shuttlesworth International) showing the availability of Weather System Processor (WSP) for wind shear detection. (From Chart Supplement U.S.).

this case, aerodynamic braking (drag) will be a greater factor in slowing up than it would be on dry concrete runways. Use it (hold up the nose as long as safely feasible after touchdown) and avoid getting on the brakes immediately after the wheels touch (assuming a direct headwind). ATC will furnish the quality of braking action received from pilots or the airport management when available. The quality of braking action is described as “good,” “good to medium,” “medium,” “medium to poor,” “poor,” and “nil.” If you give a braking action report, talk in terms of portions of the runway (first third, last half, etc.).

When tower controllers have received runway braking action reports citing medium, poor, or nil or whenever weather conditions are conducive to deteriorating or rapidly changing braking conditions, the Automatic Terminal Information Service will broadcast the statement, “Braking action advisories are in effect.” When these advisories are in effect. ATC will issue the latest braking action report to each arriving and departing aircraft. If you suspect that braking action might be bad or worsening, you should request such information if the controllers don’t mention it. You should be prepared to give a report of braking effectiveness or runway condition to the controllers after landing.

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Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Hydroplaning You coped with icing, turbulence, a couple of holding delays and are tired and glad that the flight is over now that you’re landing. You can relax at last. Not yet. There was heavy rain just before your landing, and there’s water standing on the runway, which might cause hydroplaning. Hydroplaning is broken down into three basic types: Dynamic — In total dynamic hydroplaning, water standing on the runway exerts pressure between the tires and the runway. The tires are not in contact with the runway surface itself. Braking is nil, and a crosswind can make directional control nonexistent. So, braking and control are a problem. The thumb rule for predicting the minimum dynamic hydroplaning speed (knots) is 8.6√tire pressure (psi). At a tire pressure of 36 psi, the expected minimum dynamic hydroplaning speed is 52 knots (rounded off, or 8.6 × 6 = 51.6 knots). In other words, above this speed you may encounter dynamic hydroplaning if conditions are right. Figure 7-17 shows a graphical representation. Viscous hydroplaning — Painted runway areas or rubber deposits may set up this type of hydroplaning because the tire can’t fully displace the moisture film. This effect can be felt in a car when your car slips momentarily as you cross an extra thickly painted highway center line covered with rain or dew. This can occur at a much lower speed than dynamic hydroplaning. Reverted rubber hydroplaning — Applying brakes immediately after touchdown can cause this problem. (Remember that brakes are not effective immediately after touchdown even on dry concrete.) The airplane starts dynamic hydroplaning because the brakes are locked, and as it slows, the locked tires heat up because of added friction. A layer of steam occurs between the tires and the runway, and the rubber melts. This prevents water dispersal because the braking wheel tires are riding on a layer of steam and molten rubber. This is the worst of the hydroplane variations because it can happen down to zero speed. (Don’t lock the brakes.) Grooved runways can cut down the hydroplaning effect, but you should be ready for it anytime when taking off or landing on a wet runway. Think of braking and/or directional control problems and avoid excessive use of rudder or brakes. Reversing thrust under hydroplaning conditions in a crosswind can be an added hazard. For further reading see: (1) ATP: Airline Transport Pilot, third edition, K.T. Boyd, Iowa State University Press. 1988. (2) “You vs. Hydroplaning” (article), Aerospace Safety, Norton AFB, California.

Figure 7-17. Tire pressure versus minimum hydroplaning speed (72 K at 70 psi). (From The Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual)

Weather Services The final decision whether to go is up to you, but there is a lot of information available to help you make up your mind. Some pilots, when checking the weather, prefer to look at the weather maps first and then the sequence reports and forecasts. Others may reverse the order of checking. You can set up the order that’s best for you, but check the different types of information against each other. Although flipping a coin or the twinges of rheumatism and corns may work pretty well for some endeavors, it’s best to be more scientific in your approach to weather for instrument flying. The following is a look at some of the weather services available and is geared toward the practice IFR flight from Memphis to Nashville scheduled for 1400Z (0900 CDT). Two excellent sources of information for planning your flight are the Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov) and the Flight Service (1800WXBRIEF.com) website. At the Flight Service website, you can build a profile of yourself and your airplane for flight planning services. It’s advisable to visit the sites and go through the Help and Info tabs for the descriptions of each product/service, list of issuance times and validity, and keys to the symbols used.

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

Weather Charts Surface Analysis Chart The surface analysis chart (also called the surface weather map or prog charts) is transmitted every 3 hours beginning at 00 UTC for the 48 contiguous states. The chart is available for current conditions (Figure 7-18A) showing basic weather patterns (highs, lows, fronts, isobars) and as a forecast every 6 hours for 24 hours, then every 12 hours for another day out and 24-hour periods for the long-range forecast. It’s found on the home page of the Aviation Weather Center (AWC) website under Forecast/Prog Charts/SFC (Figure 7-18). The page opens up as the Surface Analysis chart. By scrolling ahead in time, the various forecast versions of the chart are displayed. The forecast charts show the predicted areas of “chance” or “likely” areas of weather phenomenon (rain, snow, mixed, ice, and thunderstorm) via color-coding and cross-hatching, in addition to the forecast locations of lows, highs and fronts as shown on the surface analysis chart. You can see from Figure 7-18A, the chart current for 26 hours before the trip that a cold front extends across the early route just east of Memphis and there are highs out over Kansas. The forecast chart (Figure 7-18B) for 1200Z (0700 local) the day of the flight indicates likely rain (dark shading) over northwest Mississippi (early in the flight) with only a chance of rain once into Alabama

A

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and Tennessee (light shading). The cross-hatched area over southern Alabama (and well south of the planned course) shows a forecast chance of thunderstorms. Low Level Significant Weather Chart Like the surface analysis chart, the low level significant weather forecast is found under Forecast/Prog Charts at AWC, but the user selects Low (makes sense). This displays a two-panel chart with the 12-hour forecast on the left and 24-hour forecast on the right with valid times (VT) displayed on each panel. These charts extend from the surface to 400 mb (24,000 feet). The charts show VFR, marginal VFR (ceiling 1,000–3,000 feet and/or visibility 3–5 SM), IFR (50% probability), last 1 hour or less in each instance, and total less than half the stated time period. So in the 3-hour period (18Z–21Z), we can expect that the light rain will occur (>50% chance) with the 4 SM visibility, but for less than 90 minutes total. From 2100Z, the wind is expected to be from the north at 9 knots, the visibility is forecast to be back up, and skies overcast at 1,500 feet. The period we’re most interested in is the last: From 1400Z, winds from the north at 5 knots (02005KT), greater than 6 SM visibility, a broken layer at 3,500 feet and a much higher broken layer at 15,000 feet. With a 2-hour flying time from MEM–BNA (2:03), no alternate is required to be filed for this flight (14 CFR §91.167). The TAF forecasts a ceiling of at least 2,000 feet and greater than 3 SM visibility for the time period from 1 hour before to 1 hour after the ETA of 1600Z. Just as a precaution, Clarksville, Tennessee (KCKV) will be filed as an alternate. Its TAF shows VFR for the 24-hour valid period starting 4 hours before the ETA at BNA (1600Z on the 16th). The weather looks good for an IFR flight from Memphis to Nashville departing at 1400Z on the 16th. The GFA is a very effective tool for getting an idea of the forecast weather for the time of your flight out to 15 hours in the future.

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When TAFs are selected, the stations are displayed on the map with symbology showing the airport identifier and the very basics of the TAF for the time selected on the slider. If the slider was on 14Z, the symbols shown might be KMKL (Jackson, Tennessee), the number 6 for P6SM (greater than 6 statute miles visibility), a green circle with 1/4 shaded symbolizing VFR (green) and scattered clouds (1/4 sky coverage), and a wind arrow from the 1–2 o’clock position with a half-barb (around 5 knots of wind from the northeast). This has given the pilot a quick view of the forecast. Touching the station symbol will open the entire TAF, showing the agreement between the symbols and the 1400Z forecast:

KMKL 162331Z 1700/1724 35006KT P6SM VCSH SCT010 OVC120 TEMPO 1700/1702 BKN010 FM170400 04006KT P6SM SCT010 OVC120 FM170700 04003KT 4SM BR SCT010 BKN050 OVC120 FM171400 04006KT P6SM SCT100 BKN150

So starting at 1400Z, wind 040 at 6 knots, greater than 6 statute miles visibility, lowest layer of clouds at 10,000 feet scattered, 15,000 broken. Looking at the hourly observations for the period of the planned flight will be next.

Hourly Reports The METAR (think of METeorological Aviation Report) is a surface weather observation and, as such, gives the local conditions at the time of the observation. Figure 7-24 shows abbreviations used for METARs and TAFs (Terminal Aviation Forecasts, discussed above). Figure 7-25 shows actual hourly reports from two hours before the planned departure time of 1400Z (0900 Central Daylight Time) for the MEM–BNA flight. The destination alternate (not actually required) is Clarksville, Tennessee (CKV) and an enroute alternate to keep in mind is Huntsville, Alabama (HSV). Looking at the group of METARs for 1300Z, one hour before departure: Memphis on the 16th, observation at 1254Z (KMEM 161254Z), wind from 030 at 8 knots (03008KT), sky conditions few clouds at 1,100 feet, broken layer at 5,500 feet, overcast layer at 20,000 feet overcast (FEW011, BKN 055 OVC 200), temperature +8°C, dew point +06°C (08/06), altimeter is 30.26 inHg (A3026). RMK is the remarks section, which can have any number of items, listed in order of priority. The list of remarks can be found in FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 00-45, Aviation Weather Services, and starts

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Abbreviations

Descriptors



AO1 Automated Observation without BC Patches precipitation discriminator (rain/ BL Blowing snow) DR Low drifting AO2 Automated Observation with FZ Supercooled/ precipitation discriminator (rain/ freezing snow) MI Shallow AMD Amended forecast (TAF) PR Partial BECMG Becoming (expected between SH Showers 2-digit beginning hour and 2-digit ending hour) TS Thunderstorm BKN Broken 5-7 octas (eighths) cloud coverage Weather Phenomena CLR Clear at or below 12,000 feet BR Mist (ASOS/AWOS report) DS Dust storm COR Correction to the observation DU Widespread dust FEW >0-2 octas cloud coverage DZ Drizzle FM From (4-digit beginning time in FC Funnel cloud hours and minutes) +FC Tornado/water LDG Landing spout M In temperature field means “minus” FG Fog or below zero FU Smoke M In RVR listing indicates visibility less than lowest reportable sensor value GR Hail (e.g., M0600) GS Small hail/snow NO Not available (e.g., SLPNO, RVRNO) pellets NSW No significant weather (Note: HZ Haze NSW only indicates obstruction to IC Ice crystals visibility or precipitation previously PL Ice pellets noted has ended. Low ceilings, PO Dust/sand whirls wind shear, and other weather conditions still may exist.) PY Spray OVC Overcast 8 octas cloud coverage RA Rain P In RVR indicates visibility greather SA Sand than highest reported sensor value SG Snow grains (e.g., P6000FT) SN Snow P6SM Visibility great than 6 SM (TAF only) SQ Squall PK WIND Peak wind SS Sandstorm PROB40 Probability 40 percent UP Unknown R Runway (used in RVR precipitation measurement) (Automated RMK Remark Observations) RY/RWY Runway VA Volcanic ash SCT Scattered 3-4 octas cloud coverage SKC Sky clear Cloud Types SLP Sea level pressure (e.g., 1,001.3 CB Cumulonimbus reported as 013) TCU Towering Cumulus SM Statute mile(s) SPECI Special report Intensity Values TEMPO Temporary changes expected – Light (between 2-digit beginning hour no sign Moderate and 2-digit ending hour + Heavy TKOF Takeoff T01760158, 10142, 20012, 401120084 In remarks, examples of temperature information V Varies (wind direction and RVR) VC Vicinity VRB Variable wind direction when speed is less than or equal to 6 knots VV Vertical visibility (indefinite ceiling) WS Wind shear (in TAFs, low level and not associated with convective activity)

Figure 7-24. METAR and TAF abbreviations.

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

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1200Z KMEM 161154Z 02009KT 9SM BKN011 OVC050 08/06 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP250 60001 70010 T00780061 10083 20072 51003 $ KHSV 161153Z 02007KT 10SM BKN012 BKN050 OVC130 13/12 A3021 RMK AO2 SLP225 70004 T01330117 10144 20133 53005 $ KBNA 161153Z 36006KT 10SM OVC008 08/06 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP250 70031 T00830061 10100 20083 51001 1300Z KMEM 161254Z 03008KT 10SM FEW011 BKN055 OVC200 08/06 A3026 RMK AO2 SLP248 T00780061 $ KHSV 161253Z 03006KT 10SM -RA FEW011 BKN035 OVC055 13/12 A3022 RMK AO2 RAB07E15B49 SLP231 P0000 T01330117 $ KBNA 161253Z 36005KT 10SM OVC008 09/06 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP255 T00890061 1400Z KMEM 161354Z 02009KT 10SM SCT011 BKN055 OVC200 08/07 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP254 T00830067 KHSV 161353Z 05008KT 10SM FEW011 BKN038 OVC120 14/12 A3021 RMK AO2 RAE03 SLP227 P0000 T01390117 KBNA 161353Z 36008KT 10SM OVC008 09/07 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP255

Figure 7-25. Hourly reports (METARs) for Memphis (KMEM), Huntsville (KHSV), and Nashville (KBNA) starting at 1200Z, two hours before the departure time of 1400Z.

with Volcanic Eruption, followed by Funnel Cloud, all the way to the more mundane Sea Level Pressure and weather station sensor status. The remarks in the 1254Z MEM METAR are these: the report is from an automated station that can discriminate types of precipitation (AO2) and the sea-level pressure is 248 feet (SLP248). Since the temperature is measured in °C, each of which is valued at 1.8°F, and the temperature and dew point in the body of the METAR are rounded, the next group in the remarks section can be more useful than expected. T00780061 indicates that it’s the temperature data (T) and when broken into blocks of four numbers the mystery is solved down to a tenth of a degree Celsius (about 1/5 of a degree Fahrenheit). The first block, 0078 means the temperature of the air is +7.8°C, because the leading 0 is used as a “+” sign. The temperature is then given in tenths of a degree C, i.e., +07.8°C. Looking now to the second block of numbers, 0061 means the dew point is positive 6.1°C. If either temperature or dew point is negative, the leading digit in the block of 4 digits will be a 1. A METAR with T00211022 would mean the temperature/dew point are +2.1°C/−2.2°C. If you see that the latest METAR at your destination is 3/3, you have reason to worry that the fog may be forming as you read it, but by looking at the temperature in the remarks, you might see that the reality is 3.4°C temperature and 2.5°C dew point. On the other hand, it might be 3.1°C/3.1°C, but at least a more precise measurement is supplied.

The “$” at the end of the remarks indicates that the automatic station has detected some minor fault within itself. Huntsville METAR at 1253Z on the 16th, wind 030 at 6 knots, 10 SM visibility, light rain (-RA), few clouds at 1,100 feet, broken at 3,500 feet, overcast at 5,500 feet, temperature 13°C, dew point 12°C, altimeter 30.22 inHg (A3022), Remarks AO2 station, rain began at 0:07 past the hour and ended at 0:15 then began again at 0:49 past the hour (RAB07E15B49), sea level pressure 231 (SLP231), precipitation in the last hour has been trace (P0000, measured in 0.01 inches since the last METAR, so 0000 = trace), the temperature is +13.3°C and the dew point is +11.7°C (T01330117). Nashville’s 1253Z weather is wind 360/05, 10 SM visibility, 800 feet overcast, temperature 9°C, dew point 6°C, altimeter 30.29 inHg, remarks AO2, sea level pressure 255 feet and temperature/dew point +8.9°C/+6.1°C. Looking at a few of the other METARS in Figures 7-25 and 7-26: Memphis at the planned departure time: KMEM 161354Z 02009KT 10SM SCT011 BKN055 OVC200 08/07 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP254 T00830067 Winds are from the north at 9 knots, good visibility, scattered clouds at 1,100 feet, broken at 5,500 feet and a high overcast at 20,000 feet. Temperature 8°C, dew point 7°C (but not really that close at 8.3 and 6.7, respectively), altimeter 30.28. Planning on runway 36 Right would be reasonable.

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Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

1500Z KMEM 161454Z 03010KT 10SM SCT012 BKN060 OVC200 09/07 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP253 T00940067 53003 KHSV 161521Z 02004KT 10SM BKN013 BKN040 OVC100 16/12 A3022 RMK AO2 T01560122 KBNA 161453Z 01006KT 10SM OVC009 11/07 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP251 T01060072 50001 KCKV 161452Z AUTO 01005KT 10SM OVC012 08/04 A3030 RMK AO2 SLP261 T00830044 55000

1600Z KMEM 161554Z 03008KT 10SM SCT013 SCT040 BKN095 OVC200 10/07 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP252 T01000067 KHSV 161553Z 35004KT 10SM FEW014 BKN041 OVC110 15/12 A3021 RMK AO2 SLP227 T01500122 KBNA 161553Z 36003KT 10SM OVC009 11/07 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP252 T01060072 KCKV 161552Z AUTO 05004KT 10SM SCT013 09/06 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP257 T00940056

Figure 7-26. Hourly weather reports that follow up on the earlier flight conditions shown in Figure 7-25.

How does the actual weather compare with the TAF for this time? The TAF predicted in the 0600Z–1500Z time frame that there would be winds 030/10KT, 2,500 feet scattered and 4,000 feet overcast. The scattered layer is lower than forecast (1,100 feet vs. 2,500 feet), the next layer is both higher and less solid than forecast (5,500 feet broken versus 4,000 feet overcast) and the visibility is as predicted, better than 6 SM. Huntsville around the time the flight is passing: KHSV 161521Z 02004KT 10SM BKN013 BKN040 OVC100 16/12 A3022 RMK AO2 T01560122 Winds are from the north at 4 knots with 10 SM visibility. The cloud cover is 1,300 feet broken, 4,000 feet broken, and 10,000 feet overcast. Temperature is 16°C, dew point is 12°C and the altimeter is 30.22 inHg. The HSV TAF for this time period called for winds from the north at 10 knots, better than 6 SM visibility and the ceiling at 2,000 feet broken. The winds and visibility closely match the TAF, but like Memphis, the lowest layer of clouds is lower than forecast. Nashville, around the planned arrival time: KBNA 161553Z 36003KT 10SM OVC009 11/07 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP252 T01060072 The wind is from the north at 3 knots, with good visibility under the overcast. We can expect to see the rotating beacon on in the daylight when we arrive due to the IFR level 900 feet overcast. The temperature and dew point show a 4°C spread (actually 3.4°C based on T01060072) and the altimeter is 30.28 inHg. Comparing the actual conditions at time of arrival shows that the ceiling is substantially lower than forecast (900 feet overcast versus the TAF’s 3,500 feet broken for after 1400Z), but the visibility is good under the clouds.

Looking at the alternate Clarksville at the same time: KCKV 161552Z AUTO 05004KT 10SM SCT013 09/06 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP257 T00940056 The AUTO before the wind means that this is a stand-alone AO2 unit, while those at MEM, HSV and BNA had a trained operator on location overseeing the unit. The winds are from the northeast at 4 knots, with only one layer of scattered clouds reported at 1,300 feet. Temperature and dew point spread is good at 3°C (really 3.8°C), and the altimeter is 30.29 inHg. As with the other 3 TAFs, the forecast for Clarksville was on the optimistic side, with the only layer of clouds forecast as 15,000 feet scattered. All of the TAFs were quite good with the visibility and wind forecasts. With the availability of inflight weather, either from commercial sources or via ADS-B In, the instrument pilot can keep a close eye on airport conditions and weather trends as the flight progresses. The olderschool alternative would be to talk to Flight Service en route and request the latest METARs and TAFs. In that case, an effective short hand for the weather codes might be very handy.

Area Forecast (FA) An area forecast (FA) is a forecast of visual flight rules (VFR) clouds and weather conditions over a large area to give a broad picture of forecasted weather conditions. Area forecasts are issued for areas outside of the continental United States (CONUS) including Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) has replaced all FA within the continental United States.

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

Advisories Significant weather phenomena that may impact a flight are listed as weather advisories: AIRMET, SIGMETs, Convective SIGMETs, Center Weather Advisories, and Aviation Watch Notification Messages (the aviation version of public thunderstorm or tornado watch area). The Aviation Weather Center has these alerts available, in both graphical form and as data. FAA AC 00-45, Aviation Weather Services, has a warning associated with the graphical SIGMETs—the picture may not describe the entire area affected. Click or touch the displayed box and the detailed description will be displayed. Another option is to select the Data tab and the entire list of CONUS SIGMETs and AIRMETs will be displayed, SIGMETs first. Following are descriptions of these advisories with translations for some examples. AIRMETs (WA): AIRMETs within the conterminous United States are issued for phenomena that are potentially hazardous to aircraft: 1. Moderate icing. 2. Moderate turbulence. 3. Sustained winds of 30 knots or more at the surface. 4. Widespread ceilings of less than 1,000 feet and/or visibility of less than 3 SM. 5. Extensive mountain obscurement. 6. Low-level wind shear potential (non-convective; below 2,000' AGL). AIRMETs have fixed alphanumeric designators: SIERRA — IFR and mountain obscuration. TANGO — Turbulence, LLWS, surface winds >30 kts. ZULU — Icing and freezing levels.

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As we’ve been doing all along, let’s look at the sample line by line. 1. This San Francisco SIERRA AIRMET (SFOS WA) was issued on the lst of the month at 1550Z (011550). This AIRMET SIERRA is update (UPDT) number 4 for IFR and mountain obscuration (MTN OBSCN), and it is valid until the lst of the month at 2000Z (012000). 2. This AIRMET is for mountain obscuration for California (CA) and is an update. From 50 SM northnorthwest of Los Angeles (50NNW LAX) to 40 SM west-northwest of Palm Springs, CA (40WNW PSP), to 30 SM east-southeast of San Diego (30ESE SAN) to 20 SM south of San Diego (20S SAN) to Los Angeles (LAX) to 20 SM southeast of Santa Barbara (20SE SBA) to 50 SM north-northwest of Los Angeles (50NNW LAX). [This description should enclose the area affected.] The mountains will be occasionally obscured in clouds and mist (CLDS/BR). These conditions will be ending at 2000Z (ENDG 20Z) [on the lst]. 3. This AIRMET is for IFR conditions in Oregon (OR), California (CA), and coastal (CSTL) waters (WTRS). From 60 SM southwest of Eugene, Oregon (60SW EUG), to 30 SM east-southeast of Fortuna, CA (30ESE FOT), to 20 SM north of Ukiah, CA (20N UKI), to 100 SM west-southwest of Ukiah to 130 SM west of Fortuna to 90 SM west-northwest of Fortuna to 60 SM southwest of Eugene. Ceilings (CIG) will be below 1,000 feet and visibilities below 3 SM in fog and mist (BLW 010/VIS BLW 3SM FG/BR). The conditions will be ending at 2000Z (ENDG 20Z).

Figure 7-27 is a sample AIRMET SIERRA issued for the San Francisco area. AIRMET 1. SFOS WA 011550

AIRMET SIERRA UPDT 4 FOR IFR AND MTN OBSCN VALID UNTIL 012000

2. AIRMET MTN OBSCN...CA...UPDT

FROM 50NNW LAX TO 40WNW PSP TO 30ESE SAN TO 20S SAN TO LAX TO 20SE SBA TO 50NNW LAX



MTNS OCNL OBSC CLDS/BR. CONDS ENDG 20Z

3. AIRMET IFR...OR CA AND CSTL WTRS

FROM 60SW EUG TO 30ESE FOT TO 20N UKI TO 100WSW UKI TO 130W FOT TO 90WNW FOT TO 60SW EUG



CIG BLW 010/VIS BLW 3SM FG/BR CONDS ENDG 20Z.

Figure 7-27. An AIRMET SIERRA for the San Francisco area.

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SIGMETs (WS): SIGMETs warn of nonconvective weather that is potentially hazardous to all aircraft. In the conterminous United States, SIGMETs are issued when the following phenomena occur or are expected to occur: 1. Severe icing not associated with thunderstorms. 2. Severe or extreme turbulence or clear air turbulence (CAT) not associated with thunderstorms. 3. Duststorms, sandstorms, or volcanic ash that lowers surface or inflight visibilities to below 3 SM. SIGMETs are identified by alphabetic designators, which include NOVEMBER through YANKEE but exclude SIERRA and TANGO. (Remember that SIERRA, TANGO, and ZULU are used in AIRMETs for IFR, turbulence, and icing information.) The first issuance of a SIGMET will be labeled UWS (urgent weather SIGMET). Issuances for the same phenomenon will be sequentially numbered, using the original designator until the phenomenon ends. For instance, the first issuance in the Boston area is PAPA 1. Figure 7-28 is a sample SIGMET for the Boston area. SIGMET BOSP UWS 221820 SIGMET PAPA 1 VALID UNTIL 221920 PA NJ FROM SLT TO EWR TO ACY TO JST TO SLT OCNL SEV TURB BTWN FL270 AND FL350 EXP DUE TO WNDSHR. CONS ENDG BY 1920Z.

Figure 7-28. SIGMET PAPA 1 for the Boston forecast area.

Translating the figure line by line: This is a Boston PAPA SIGMET (BOSP), the first one issued (UWS) at 1820Z on the 22nd of the month (221820), and is valid until 1920Z on the 22nd. The states of Pennsylvania (PA) and New Jersey (NJ) are affected. From Slate Run, PA (SLT), to Newark, NJ (EWR), to Atlantic City, NJ (ACY), to Johnstown, PA (JST), to Slate Run. Occasional severe turbulence between flight level 270 (27,000 feet) and flight level 350 (35,000 feet) is expected (EXP) due to windshear (WNDSHR). Conditions will be ending by 1920Z. Convective SIGMETs (WST): Convective SIGMETs are issued for the eastern (E), central (C), and western (W) United States. At this printing, these bulletins are issued at 55 minutes past the hour (H+55) as special bulletins on an unscheduled basis. They are issued for the following phenomena:

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

1. Severe thunderstorms due to (a) surface winds greater than or equal to 50 knots; (b) hail at the surface, greater or equal to ¾ inch in diameter; (c) tornadoes. 2. Embedded thunderstorms. 3. A line of thunderstorms. 4. Thunderstorms greater than or equal to VIP level 4, affecting 40% or more of an area of at least 3,000 square miles. To understand the severity of the weather at level 4 (mentioned above), let’s look at radar weather echo intensity levels: Level 1, weak and Level 2, moderate — light to moderate turbulence is possible, with lightning. Level 3, strong — severe turbulence possible, lightning. Level 4, very strong — severe turbulence likely, lightning. (Comfort bags and prayers are broken out by the passengers.) Level 5, intense — severe turbulence, lightning, organized wind gusts, hail likely. (Comfort bags and prayers in use by passengers.) Level 6, extreme — severe turbulence, large hail, lightning, extensive wind gusts, probably structural failure. (Pilot plans ahead by wearing a parachute, leaves the airplane, and goes for help.) Figure 7-29 is a sample convective SIGMET issued for Kansas City and the central United States. As we have been doing, the line-by-line interpretation is 1. Kansas City has issued a convective SIGMET (WST) on the 22nd of the month at 1855Z. Its designator is 20C, and it is valid until 2055Z. 2. North Dakota (ND) and South Dakota (SD) information. From 90 NM west of Minot, ND (MOT), to Grand Forks, ND (GFK), to Aberdeen, SD (ABR), to 90 NM west of Minot. There is an intensifying (INTSF) area of severe thunderstorms (TS) moving (MOV) from 240° at 45 knots (FROM 2445). Tops are above 45,000 feet MSL (ABV FL450). Wind gusts up to 60 knots have been reported (REP). Tornadoes, hail up to 2-inch diameter, and wind gusts up to 65 knots are possible (POSS) in the North Dakota portion (PTN). 3. Convective SIGMET 21C is valid until 2055Z. 4. Texas (TX). 50 miles southeast of Childress, TX (50SE CDS). There is an isolated severe thunderstorm (ISOL SEV TS), diameter 30 miles (D30), moving from 240° at 20 knots (MOV FROM 2420). Tops above 45,000 MSL, hail up to 2-inch diameter, and wind gusts to 65 knots are possible.

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

7-29

1. MKCC WST 221855 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 20C VALID UNTIL 2055Z 2. ND SD FROM 90W MOT-GFK-ABR-90W MOT INTSF AREA SEV TS MOV FROM 2445. TOPS ABV FL450. WIND GUSTS TO 60KT REP. TORNADOES... HAIL TO 2 IN...WIND GUSTS TO 65KT POSS ND PTN. 3. CONVECTIVE SIGMET 21C VALID UNTIL 2055Z 4. TX 50SE CDS ISOL SEV TS D30 MOV FROM 2420. TOPS ABV FL450. HAIL TO 2 IN...WIND GUSTS TO 65KT POSS. 5. OUTLOOK VALID 222055-230055 6. AREA 1...FROM INL-MSP-ABR-MOT-INL SEV TS CONT TO DVLP IN AREA OVER ND. AREA IS EXP TO RMN SEV AND SPRD INTO MN. 7. AREA 2...FROM CDS-DFW-LRD-ELP-CDS ISOLD STG TS WILL DVLP OVR SWRN AND WRN TX THRUT FCST PD AS UPR LVL TROF MOV NE OVR VERY UNSTBL AIR.

Figure 7-29. Convective SIGMETs 20C for North and South Dakota and 21C for Texas, respectively.

5. The outlook is valid from 2055Z on the 22nd to 0055Z on the 23rd. 6. Area 1 from International Falls, MN (INL), to Minneapolis (MSP) to Aberdeen (ABD) to Minot (MOT) to International Falls (INL). Severe thunderstorms continue to develop in the area over North Dakota. The area is expected to remain severe and spread (SPRD) into Minnesota. 7. Area 2 from Childress to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Laredo (LRD) to El Paso (ELP) to Childress. Isolated strong thunderstorms (ISOLD STG TS) will develop over southwestern and western Texas (SWRN AND WRN TX) throughout the forecast period (THRUT FCST PD) as an upper level trough (UPR LVL TROF) moves northeastward over (MOV NE OVR) very unstable (UNSTBL) air. Severe Weather Forecast Alerts (AWW) are preliminary messages issued in order to alert users that a Severe Weather Bulletin is being issued. These messages define areas of possible severe thunderstorms or tornado activity. These are unscheduled and issued as required by the National Severe Storm Forecast Center at Kansas City, MO.

The Center Weather Advisory (CWA) is an unscheduled inflight, flow control, air traffic, and air crew advisory. By nature of its short lead time, the CWA is not a flight planning product. It is a “nowcast” for conditions beginning within the next 2 hours. CWAs are issued as supplements to existing SIGMETs, convective SIGMETs, AIRMETs, or area forecasts (FAs). They may be based on pilot reports and other weather information if the observed weather conditions don’t meet SIGMET, convective SIGMET, or AIRMET criteria, yet.

Pilot Reports (PIREPs) Pilot reports can be invaluable for inflight safety, so give them freely, especially if the words “It would have been nice to know about that [10 knot loss on final, breaking out only 50 feet above minimums, moderate turbulence on climb out, etc.]” go through your mind during the flight. PIREPs can be found at the AWC and via ADS-B In services (FIS-B) inflight. At the AWC, the symbology will give you a good idea what the reports detail, and touching or clicking on the symbol will open the descriptive text.

7-30

The following is a decoding of a rather detailed PIREP (Figure 7-30) given by a Piper Saratoga east of Fort Smith, Arkansas. PILOT REPORTS UA/ OV FSM 090040/ TM 1145/ FL130/ TP PA32/ 1 2 3 4 5 SK BKN018-TOP030/OVC045-TOP120/ 6 WX FV99SM RA000-100/ TA M06 7 8 WV 230045KT/ TB LGT-MOD CHOP BLW 100/ 9 10 IC MOD CLR 110-120/ 11 RM FRZLVL 110 RA INTMNT DURGC 12 1. TYPE OF REPORT - UUA IS URGENT, UA REGULAR 2. LOCATION OF PILOT REPORT 3. TIME OF REPORT 4. FLIGHT LEVEL 5. TYPE OF AIRCRAFT 6. SKY COVERAGE, TOPS AND BASES 7. WX AND FLIGHT VIS 8. TEMPERATURE IN DEGREES C 9. WINDS 10. TURB - INTENSITY, TYPE AND LOCATION 11. ICING - INTENSITY, TYPE AND LOCATION 12. RM - ANY REMARKS

Figure 7-30. Pilot reports (PIREPs).

1. UA is a regular PIREP. 2. The OV (over) is slightly misleading since the location is on the 090 radial, 40 NM from the Fort Smith VOR (FSM 090040). 3. The time is 1145Z (TM 1145). 4. Flight level is 13,000 feet (FL130). 5. Type (TP) of aircraft is a PA-32. 6. The sky (SK) conditions are broken with the base at 1,800 feet and the top of the first layer at 3,000 feet. The second layer is an overcast with the base at 4,500 feet and the top at 12,000 feet (BKN018-TOP030/ OVC045-TOP120). 7. Weather (WX) — The flight visibility (FV) is unlimited (99SM). There was rain from the surface to 10,000 feet (RA000-100). 8. Temperature (TA) is minus 6°C (M06). 9. Wind velocity (WV) is from 230° at 45 knots (230045KT). [This might be read directly off of the Nav Display of a glass cockpit or calculated via GPS or DME.] 10. Turbulence (TB) is light to moderate (LT-MOD) chop below 10,000 feet (BLW 100).

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

11. Icing (IC) is moderate and clear from 11,000 to 12,000 feet (MOD CLR 110-120). 12. Remarks (RM) — Freezing level is at 11,000 feet (FRZLVL 110), with rain (RA) intermittent (INTMNT) during climb (DURGC).

Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecasts (FB) The winds are covered last because there’s not much point in finding out the winds until you’ve looked at the weather and decided that you can go. Forecast winds can be found at the AWC website, among other places. Selecting Forecast and then Winds/ Temps will display the map showing symbology for those stations that have TAFs. The altitude of interest can be approximated with a slider. The general display shows the forecast wind at that altitude at that station using flags and pennants. Figure 7-31 shows both the graphical and the text box after opening. The wind arrow has 3 and 1/2 narrow barbs indicating 35 knots of wind forecast at 6,000 feet MSL (left slider) at 1800Z the 26th (top slider). The 8 indicates the forecast temperature of 8°C. Touching the station opened the box to give the plain language forecast. Selecting the “W/T Data” tab gives a table somewhat like Figure 7-32, more in the neighborhood of the planned cross-country flight. These are based on data for use from 1200Z to 0000Z on the 16th. Temperature is shown with a +/sign from 6,000–24,000 feet MSL. The note states that all temperatures are negative above 24,000 feet. This format is a carry-over from the teletype days, so there is some shorthand involved, especially at the higher altitudes where the wind can be strong (I once had a 202knot tailwind at 31,000 feet). The code is “DDSS( )TT”, where DD is the True direction divided by 10 (36 = 360°), SS is the speed in knots, ( ) is a + or – sign at or below 24,000, and TT is the temperature (Celsius). Looking at some of the winds at Nashville: The winds at 3,000 feet are expected to be light and variable (9900), while at 6,000 feet they should be 270° at 24 knots with a temperature of +12°C. The winds at 9,000 feet shows 260° at 29 knots while at 30,000 feet the wind is from the west (270°) at 87 knots and the temperature is a chilly −33°C (remember the “−“ is a given above 24,000 feet per the note). The wind data at 34,000 feet (760242) doesn’t make much sense, because there’s no 760° direction. That’s where the shorthand comes in: if the direction is greater than 360, that means the wind speed is greater than 99 knots. Find the actual direction by subtracting 50 from the 76 to get 26 (260°), and add a 100 to the wind digits (02) to get 102 knots. The final

Chapter 7 / Weather Systems and Planning

7-31

Figure 7-31. Winds/temps forecast from the Aviation Weather Center.

VALID 161800Z FOR USE 1200-0000Z. TEMPS NEG ABV 24000 FT 3000 6000 9000 12000 18000 24000 30000 34000 39000 MEM 0313 2615+12 2707+07 2208+01 2448-08 2561-18 268333 269342 269053 HSV 9900 2614+13 2425+09 2331+03 2548-09 2661-18 267333 277941 266351 BNA 9900 2724+12 2629+07 2634+03 2452-09 2565-20 278733 760242 279552 Figure 7-32. Actual winds aloft/temperature forecasts (FB).

answer is wind at 34,000 feet forecast to be 260° at 102 knots with a temperature of −42°C. The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation tool at the AWC can be used in the forecast mode to display colorcoded forecast of wind speed out to 15 hours in the future.

Sources of Weather Information There are many sources of good weather information these days, and two of the best are the Aviation Weather Center for a multitude of weather sources and 1800wxbrief. com, the website for Flight Service Stations. The FSS

site has links for straight weather information, the feature of user-defined profiles (for your aircraft and typical flying airports), and a very thorough flight planning system (ETAs and ground speed using current wind forecasts), as will be seen in Chapter 9. A big step in reducing confusion and the need to know a second language (“weatherese”?) is the availability of plain language observations and forecasts from these websites. If your aircraft has neither ADS-B In nor a commercial service supplying inflight weather updates, routine updates are available from FSS via the remote communication outlets associated with VORs. These systems

7-32

have the advantage of NOTAM availability, reducing the chance of surprises when you arrive at your destination or alternate (also available through FSS via radio). Severe weather alerts are announced initially on ARTCC frequencies, with details available via HIWAS (Hazardous Inflight Weather Alert Service), a continuous broadcast of flight hazards (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, and urgent PIREPs). VORs having HIWAS capability display a circled “H” in the upper right corner of the frequency box. Another option for keeping up-to-date on the actual weather conditions compared to the TAFs and GFA is to listen to nearby ASOS/AWOS broadcasts as you fly along.

Summary The main point is to check the various inputs against each other. How have the forecasts been comparing with the actual weather? Look at PIREPs and other reports that may be more up to date than the last sequence or forecast. Remember that some of the forecasts may be several hours old, and winds and temperature aloft forecasts are just that—forecasts. It’s going to be up to you to ask the proper questions, because it’s your neck. If you’re not sure of how the weather may play out, call the flight service and get a briefing on the phone. The briefer may have some insight that isn’t obvious to you by looking at the forecasts and data available to you online. Here are a couple of points you might consider when planning an IFR trip and checking the weather: Don’t just check the weather on the original route and to the alternate. Find out the nearest VFR weather area,

but keep in mind that there may be days when there is no VFR weather within the range of your aircraft; however, these days are generally rare. If you have a total electrical failure and can’t navigate or communicate, you may have to use the vacuum/pressure gyro instruments (or back-up portion of the glass cockpit) to fly the airplane to VFR conditions for an approach (and landing) visually. Go to a VFR altitude (odd + 500 or even + 500 as applicable for the direction). If terrain permits, you might want to descend to the safe VFR altitude in hopes of breaking out as the flight progresses. There will be more about inflight emergencies in Chapter 12, but the main point here is to locate the nearest VFR weather when you are checking en route IFR weather. Of course, if flying hard IFR, a handheld VHF radio as back up would always be prudent. As mentioned earlier, your briefing might occasionally be by phone (or radio en route), and sometimes it seems that the briefer talks pretty fast. The problem is that OVC (overcast) or BKN (broken) or SCT (scattered) takes a long time to write down and it’s suggested that you use the “old” symbols for quick usage.  — Scattered.  — Broken.  — Overcast. With practice you can use these symbols and keep up with just about any briefer. You could, of course, ask him or her to slow down.

8

Charts and Other Printed Aids En Route Charts The en route chart system is broken down into two main segments: 1. En route high-altitude charts cover the conterminous United States in six charts and concern airspace 18,000 feet MSL and above. These won’t be covered in this book. 2. En route low-altitude charts cover altitudes up to but not including 18,000 MSL and the conterminous United States in 36 charts. There are also charts for Alaska and Hawaii and one for the Caribbean (Miami-Nassau-Puerto Rico.) The U.S. charts are printed back to back; for instance, L-13 and L-14 go together as shown by Figure 8-1. They download as pairs, too. In the back of this book there are excerpts from enroute low altitude charts L-16 and L-18 for use on the practice flight plan in Chapter 13. Note that the FAA occasionally changes the symbols; be alert and check your latest charts for the current symbols in use. All chart references are to the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Services digital charts found at the FAA website. If you are a refresher pilot, note on the chart that the controlling FSS is now listed under the other VOR boxes. Review the legend for other presentations new to you.

Area Charts Certain congested terminal areas (Atlanta, Miami, etc.) have larger-scale charts for close-in work. Several of these are published on one sheet and are included with the en route chart subscription.

14 CFR §91.175— IFR Takeoff and Landing As an instrument-rated pilot, you must be thoroughly familiar with 14 CFR §91.175: Takeoff and Landing under IFR. All FARs are open to some interpretation, so study this one in its entirety on your own. Here is my own take on what pertains to general aviation: 1. Only use published instrument approaches. Just because your GPS unit takes you right to the touchdown zone at your home airport is no clearance to try it IFR. Approaches are carefully surveyed for precision and obstacle clearance. 2. Use the highest minimums of the approach, pilot or airplane. The minimums at O’Hare’s ILS may be 200 feet DA and ½ -mile visibility, but that doesn’t mean your destination airport surrounded by buildings or hills will (or should) be the same. Also, an inoperative item in the aircraft or runway may raise the minimums. 3. No wild maneuvering on approach below DA/MDA. You are required to always be in a position to land with normal descent rates and bank angles. If you can’t do that, it’s time for a missed approach. 4. To go below the DA or MDA, you must have the required inflight visibility. This is the pilot’s judgement, but accidents and/or violations have occurred when the pilot tried to sneak in without the minimum visibility. 5. To go below DA/MDA you must have part of the runway in sight. The list includes threshold, threshold markings or lights, REILs (runway end identifier lights), the runway or its markings/lights, VASI, touchdown zone or its lights. The approach lights aren’t enough for landing, but are good enough to allow descent to 100' above the touchdown zone elevation (and if you can’t see the other stuff from 100' above the TDZ, you don’t have the visibility 8-1

8-2

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Figure 8-1. The en route low-altitude charts are published in pairs “back to back” and are issued every 56 days. Symbols change periodically; check your current chart for the latest chart symbol legend.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

you need!). The red terminating bars (ALSF-1/ SSALR/MALSR systems) or red side-row bars (ALSF-2) count as the runway and allow continued descent below 100' above the touchdown zone. 6. A missed approach is required if you get to the missed approach point (MAP) or reach the DA without the approach lights or runway “environment” (see 5, above) in sight. If you lose sight of the required items below DA/MDA, you must miss. The only exception to this is on a circling approach and you momentarily lose sight of the runway due to parts of the aircraft blocking your view — an example of this would be the wing of a high-wing airplane blocking your view as you circle to land. 7. Take-off minimums: this FAR does not list takeoff minimums for pilots operating under Part 91. You should set (and stick to) your own personal minimums for take-off. If the weather is below the approach minimums for your departure airport, you should give some deep thought on whether you really need to go. These decisions should take into account the extent of the bad visibility, closeness of alternate airports, and your plans in various emergency scenarios. Taking off in weather below landing minimums is risky. 8. Have some familiarity with the visibility vs. RVR (runway visual range) table in 91.175(h). 9. This FAR (paragraph “j”) prohibits a procedure turn, without ATC approval, in cases of vectors to final, a timed approach from a holding fix, or when the chart has “No PT.” 10. A discussion of the ILS components lists substitutes for the outer marker. A technique that’s helpful when you break out of the mirk and get some of the runway items in (5) above in sight: Stay mostly on instruments until you have better visual reference. As you get closer to the runway, you will have more visual references and will be better able to keep the “normal descent rates and bank angles.”

U.S. Terminal Procedures The Terminal Procedures (Figure 8-2), as the term implies, cover the operations in terminal areas and contain approach and departure routes plus the actual final approach procedures to various airports. (See Figure 8-3 for the areas covered by the various terminal procedures books or downloads, which are issued every 56 days.)

8-3

Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) Charts The IAP charts will be of the greatest importance for the successful completion of an instrument flight. If you’re taking an instrument refresher, you may find the chart layouts have changed. The FAA’s Aeronautical Information Services charts will be discussed here.

Definitions MDA — “Minimum descent altitude” means the lowest altitude, expressed in feet above MSL, to which descent is authorized on final approach, where no electronic glide slope is provided, or during circle-to-land maneuvering in execution of a standard instrument approach procedure. The MDA should be considered a hard floor, not to be passed without at least the approach lights in sight. DA — “Decision altitude,” is the altitude at which a decision must be made to either continue to land (approach lights or runway in sight, 14 CFR §91.175) or to execute the missed approach procedure. ILS, PAR (Precision Approach Radar) and GLS (GBAS augmented RNAV approach) are all considered precision approaches. Certain other RNAV approaches (LPV or LNAV/VNAV) are called “approaches with vertical guidance” and have published DAs. It is permissible to descend (slightly) below the DA as the missed approach is executed, since the aircraft is in a descent, but this should never be used as a way to continue the search for the runway. The decision altitude is expressed in feet above MSL. Note that for Category II and III (which are currently very low visibility ILS requiring special equipment and training), the minimum is listed as a DH (decision height) and in feet above the ground measured with a radio altimeter. HAA — “Height above airport” indicates the height of the MDA above the published airport elevation. The HAA is published in conjunction with circling minimums for all types of approaches. HAT — “Height above touchdown” indicates the heights of the DA or MDA above the highest runway elevation in the touchdown zone (first 3,000 feet of the runway). The HAT is published in conjunction with straight-in minimums. NoPT — Means no procedure turn required or expected. “Precision approach procedure” means a standard instrument approach in which an electronic glide slope is provided (ILS or PAR). “Nonprecision approach procedure” means a standard instrument approach in which no electronic glide slope is provided.

8-4

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Figure 8-2. U.S. Terminal Procedures. The books are issued for selected parts of the United States and have an effective period of 56 days. The approach charts and accompanying information shown are for Volume 1 of 4 of the U.S. Southeast (SE-1). A booklet of change notices (CN) for the full 48-state part of the United States will be sent at the middle of each volume’s valid period. The user is advised to consult NOTAMs for the latest information. Check Figure 8-3 for the volumes available. Digital versions of charts can be downloaded from the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Services webpage.

U.S. TERMINAL PROCEDURES PUBLICATION VOLUMES ME

WA

NW-1

NE-1

ND

MT

NC-1

OR

VT

MN WI

ID

EC-3

SD

EC-1

NE-2

MI

WY

SW-2

NY

CA

SW-4

Monterey

36°N

UT

IL

NC-2

CO

SW-3

NE-4

SW-1

SC-1

OK Lubbock

IN

WV

SE-1

Midland

SC-3

MS

Dallas-Ft. Worth

TX

SC-5

San Antonio

Houston

97°W

VA

NE-3

DE DC

NC

SE-2 SC

AR

SC-2

32°N

RI

NJ

MD

TN

AZ NM

EC-2 OH KY

MO

KS

Los Angeles San Diego

NC-3

NE

NV

MA CT

PA

IA

Sacramento

NH

SE-4 AL

GA

SC-4 LA

SE-3 FL

Including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Figure 8-3. U.S. Terminal Procedures books coverage. As noted earlier, these books include information necessary for operating under IFR, such as approach and departure procedures, minimums for takeoff and landing, minimums for alternate airports, and airport diagrams.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

8-5

IFR Landing Minimums

Pilot Briefing/Notes

Earlier, the ceiling at the airport and the visibility were used as landing limits. This is no longer the case. The published visibility is the required weather condition for landing as cited in 14 CFR Part 91. Part 91 now allows approach down to the MDA or DH as appropriate to the procedure being executed without regard to the reported ceiling. Some international airports may have a “ceiling required” note in the minimums box of the approach chart. The publication Low-Altitude Approach Procedures (Inter-Agency Air Cartographic Committee — IACC) goes into great detail on the making up of approach charts from the government’s requirements; for instance, “When level flight is to be maintained from the primary facility or fix, prior to the beginning of the descent, the distance shall be shown by use of a 0.007" vertical line 0.10" in length extending downward from the procedure track at the point where the descent begins. The distance need not be shown to scale.” Well, as a pilot, you don’t need that kind of information; but if you get a chance to look through that publication, you’ll be gratified at the detailed work that goes into the charts. This chapter will stick to the information for actually using the charts for approaches (with an occasional aside). Look at Figure 8-2 and note that the approach chart books (and downloads) are issued for specific parts of the United States (16 volumes) with an effective period of 56 days. Change notices are available for download/ printed at the mid-point (28 days in) and contain revisions, additions, and deletions for the last complete issue of 16 volumes. The Index lists the approach procedures alphabetically by city. (If Aardvark Airport is located in the town of Zulu, Montana, it will be listed at or near the end, with the Zs.) You would replace the information (IFR takeoff minimums, departure procedures alternate minimums, civil radar instrument minimums, and the full approach charts listed in the CN Index). Figure 8-3 shows the areas covered by the IAP chart volumes. Figure 8-4 gives general information and abbreviations for the charts. Each IAP chart is divided into the following sections:

The briefing area contains the navigation facility or GPS information, along with runway and lighting data. Triangle symbols with “A” or “T” indicate nonstandard alternate minimums (A) or specific obstacle clearance/departure procedure (T). Restrictions to the approach are found here. A textual description of the missed approach and communication frequencies are shown, to go with the visual version in the profile view.

1. Pilot briefing/notes. 2. Planview. 3. Profile. 4. Airport sketch (possibly being removed to be replaced by a full airport diagram for every airport with approach procedures). 5. Minimums data.

Planview Here are a few points to consider about this part of the chart: 1. The chart pages are oriented to True North, but bearings and courses are magnetic. 2. The information is to scale (unless there is a box or broken line indicating an item is off-chart or a change of scale. See an example of each in Figure 13-13’s plan view: upper left and lower right). 3. An important fix or the radio aid for the approach is usually positioned near the center of the plan view. 4. The planview shows an overhead of the final approach course with at least the beginning of the missed approach procedure in sight. Obstacles such as towers are shown with elevations (MSL). Frequency boxes are displayed, along with procedure turns and holding patterns. Restrictions to the approach, such as the phrase “DME or radar required” are in the planview. 5. The minimum sector altitude circle is shown based on a primary fix (often the FAF) or navigation facility, with sectors marked by inbound magnetic bearings to that point (unless the MSA is the same all around). The MSA circle can be based on a point off-airport, giving less leeway to one of the airports (less than 25 NM coverage one direction, more another). Figure 8-5A is the ILS 36L at Huntsville (HSV). Note the MSA is based on the distant DCU VOR and that there is restricted airspace to the east of the airport. Figure 8-5B shows the legend and the symbols for the chart.

Profile View Looking at (3) in Figure 8-5A, you can see the profile view of the ILS Runway 36 approach at Huntsville. Figure 8-6 is the legend for the minimum safe altitudes (MSA) and profile views that you’ll see in the IAP charts.

Figure 8-4. General information and abbreviations for Terminal Procedures. You’ll have to refer back to this from time to time as the chapter proceeds.

8-6 Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

SE-4, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

5

2

3 4

SE-4, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

B

Figure 8-5. Approach chart for the Huntsville International Airport and legend for the planview portion of the chart. A. The chart, as mentioned earlier, has five major parts as numbered here: (1) pilot briefing/notes, (2) planview, (3) profile view, (4) airport sketch, (5) minimums data. B. Planview legend and symbols.

A

1

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids 8-7

Figure 8-6. Legends for minimum safe altitudes (MSA), terminal arrival areas (TAA), and profile views of the IAP charts.

8-8 Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

Airport Diagram Figure 8-7 is the legend for the airport diagram and the airport sketch in the IAP charts. The airport sketch is a part of the IAP chart itself, while the airport diagram is a full-page layout for a major airport accompanying the related pages in the IAP chart booklet. As mentioned earlier, the airport sketches may be removed in the future for simplicity sake, with every airport that has IAPs having its own airport diagram. Figure 8-7 also shows an airport diagram for Huntsville International (Alabama) Airport. Take time to compare Figure 8-7 with Figure 8-5A and the legend.

Minimums Data The landing minimums data consists of the minimum descent altitude (MDA) or decision altitude (DA), runway visual range (RVR) or visibility, height above airport (HAA) or height above touchdown (HAT), and ceiling-visibility minimums in statute miles for the approach and approach-speed categories indicated in the Appendixes of the IAP chart volume. The DA or MDA is MSL for the weather minimums for the type of approach. The RVR follows the DA or MDA, separated by a slash (/). Ceiling (remember that a ceiling is height above ground) and visibility values are shown in parentheses. RVR values are shown in the minimums box (divided by 100) and preceded by the DA and a “slash.” Figure 8-5A shows the HSV S-ILS 36L minimums to be 815' DA and 1,800' RVR (“815/18”). The minimums data is applicable for both day and night unless specified on the procedure. If the night minimums are different, there will be an asterisk, and the data will be in the space below the minimums data. Figure 8-8 is an explanation of terms (aircraft approach categories, RVR/meteorological visibility comparable values, landing minimums format, and radar minimums). When the minimums for one type of approach are the same for two or more approach categories, the data is centered below the appropriate approach-speed categories. In Figure 8-8 (left side), the straight-in localizer approach (S-LOC 27) for Runway 27 has the same minimums for A, B, and C approach categories. The A (IFR alternate) and T (IFR takeoff) minimums symbols in the minimums data box indicate that other than standard minimums apply.

8-9

1. Precision approach procedure — Ceiling 600 feet and visibility 2 statute miles (SM). 2. Nonprecision approach procedure — Ceiling 800 feet and visibility 2 SM. When you file an IFR flight plan (to be covered in detail in Chapter 9), listing of an alternate is not required if there is a standard instrument approach for the airport of first intended landing and, for at least 1 hour before and for 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival, the weather reports or forecasts or any combination of them indicate that (1) the ceiling will be at least 2,000 feet above the airport elevation and (2) the visibility will be at least 3 SM. The triangle-enclosed “A” in the briefing area of HSV (Figure 8-5A) means there are non-standard alternate minimums for Huntsville (see next subject).

Takeoff Requirements Note that Huntsville (Figure 8-5A) has a symbol for nonstandard takeoff requirements in the briefing area, too. To check this out you would have to look in the IAP charts volume for further information. Figure 8-9 shows the nonstandard takeoff and alternate minimums for several airports, including Huntsville Executive.

Inoperative Components Figure 8-10 shows the effects of inoperative components for various types of approach aids. Note that runway lighting definitely has an effect on the minimums for the various aircraft approach categories (A, B, C, D).

Lighting Speaking of the importance of lighting, Figure 8-11 shows the approach lighting systems as given in the IAP chart volumes. There’s also information in more detail in Chapter 2 of the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM). Most pilots take the lighting systems for granted, but each has a purpose. For example, the roll guidance bars (the lights perpendicular to the approach path lighting) are a great help in marginal visibility (particularly at night) to keep you from dropping a wing or getting into other lateral/directional problems. Figure 8-12 shows runway markings as given in Chapter 2 of the AIM.

Alternate Requirements The standard alternate airport minimums (if no alternate minimums are specified for that airport in the instrument approach procedure) are:

Continued on Page 8-16

Figure 8-7. Legend for airport sketches/diagrams (left). Airport diagram for HSV (right). Compare to the airport sketch in Figure 8-5A.

8-10 Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Figure 8-8. IAP charts explanation of terms, approach categories, RVR/meteorological visibility comparable values, and landing minimums format.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids 8-11

A

IFR ALTERNATE AIRPORT MINIMUMS

INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURE CHARTS

M1

ALTERNATE MINIMUMS

A ALTERNATE MINS

BACON COUNTY (AMG)………………RNAV (GPS) Rwy 15 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 33 NA when local weather not available. Category C, 800-2¼; Category D, 800-2½.

ALMA, GA

THOMAS C RUSSELL FIELD (ALX).………………….RNAV (GPS) Rwy 18 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 36 Category C, 900-2½; Category D, 900-2¾.

SE-4

ATLANTA RGNL FALCON FIELD (FFC).………………….RNAV (GPS) Rwy 13 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 31 Category D, 800-2¼.

ATLANTA, GA

ATHENS/BEN EPPS (AHN)..……………ILS or LOC/DME Rwy 271 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 2 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 20 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 27 VOR Rwy 2 VOR Rwy 27 NA when local weather not available. 1 Category D, 700-2.

ATHENS, GA

ANNISTON RGNL (ANB)..………………ILS Y or LOC Y Rwy 51 ILS Z or LOC Z Rwy 52 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 53 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 234 NA when local weather not available. 1 ILS, LOC, Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2¼; Category D, 1300-3. 2 ILS, Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2¼; Category D, 1300-3; LOC, Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2¼. 3 Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2¼; Category D, 1300-3. 4 Categories A, B, 900-2; Category C, 900-2½; Category D, 1300-3.

ANNISTON, AL

A

25 APR 2019 to 23 MAY 2019

ALTERNATE MINIMUMS

19115

A ALTERNATE MINS

HOMERVILLE (HOE).………...RNAV (GPS) Rwy 14 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 32 VOR/DME-A NA when local weather not available. Category C, 800-2¼; Category D, 800-2½.

HOMERVILLE, GA

HAZLEHURST (AZE)..……...............…NDB Rwy 14 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 14 Category D, 900-2½.

HAZLEHURST, GA

POSEY FIELD (1M4)…………RNAV (GPS) Rwy 18 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 36 VOR/DME Rwy 18 NA when local weather not available.

HALEYVILLE, AL

JACK EDWARDS NATIONAL (JKA).………………ILS or LOC Rwy 271 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 92 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 272 NA when local weather not available. 1 ILS, Category C, 800-2; Category D, 800-2¼; LOC, Category D, 800-2¼. 2 Category D, 800-2¼.

GULF SHORES, AL

MAC CRENSHAW MEMORIAL (PRN)...…………RNAV (GPS) Rwy 14 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 32 Category D, 800-2¼.

GREENVILLE, AL

GREENE COUNTY RGNL (3J7)..…….................…RNAV (GPS) Rwy 71 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 2512 VOR-B12 1 Category D, 800-2½. 2 NA when local weather not available.

GREENSBORO, GA

NAME

19115

A ALTERNATE MINS

M5

M5

NAME

SE-4

BARWICK LAFAYETTE (9A5).……………RNAV (GPS) Rwy 2 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 20 NA when local weather not available. Category A, 900-2.

LAFAYETTE, GA

JESUP-WAYNE COUNTY (JES)..………......…RNAV (GPS) Rwy 29 Category D, 800-2¼.

JESUP, GA

JACKSON COUNTY (JCA)………………RNAV (GPS) Rwy 17 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 35 NA when local weather not available.

JEFFERSON, GA

WALKER COUNTYBEVILL FIELD (JFX)..…………RNAV (GPS) Rwy 9 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 27 VOR/DME-A1 NA when local weather not available. 1 Category D, 800-2¼.

HUNTSVILLE EXECUTIVE TOM SHARP JR FIELD (MDQ).…….…………….ILS or LOC Rwy 181 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 182 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 362 VOR-B2 1 LOC, Category C, 800-2¼; Category D, 1300-3. 2 Category C, 800-2¼; Category D, 1300-3.

JASPER, AL

A

A

ALTERNATE MINIMUMS

HUNTSVILLE INTL-CARL T. JONES FIELD (HSV)..………………ILS or LOC Rwy 18L123 ILS or LOC Rwy 18R123 ILS or LOC Rwy 36L123 ILS or LOC Rwy 36R123 RADAR-114 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 18L34 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 18R34 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 36L34 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 36R34 1 NA when control tower closed. 2 ILS, Category D, 700-2; Category E, 700-2¼. LOC, Category E, 800-2¼. 3 NA when local weather not available. 4 Category E, 800-2¼.

HUNTSVILLE, AL

Figure 8-9. IFR takeoff and alternate minimums. Check back to Figure 8-4 if some of the abbreviations are unfamiliar. (From IAP charts)

M1

ALTERNATE MINIMUMS

SOUTH ALABAMA RGNL AT BILL BENTON FIELD (79J)…………………COPTER NDB Rwy 29 NDB-A RNAV (GPS) RWY 11 RNAV (GPS) RWY 29 NA when local weather not available.

NAME

ANDALUSIA/OPP, AL

A

25 APR 2019 to 23 MAY 2019

19115

25 APR 2019 to 23 MAY 2019

ALEXANDER CITY, AL

ALBERTVILLE RGNL-THOMAS J BRUMLIK FLD (8A0).………….RNAV (GPS) Rwy 5 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 23 NA when local weather not available.

ALBERTVILLE, AL

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA RGNL (ABY).……………………ILS or LOC Rwy 412 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 4³ RNAV (GPS) Rwy 16³ RNAV (GPS) Rwy 22³ RNAV (GPS) Rwy 34³ VOR Rwy 16³ 1 NA when control tower closed. 2 LOC, Category C, 800-2¼; Category D 800-2½. ³Category C, 800-2¼; Category D 800-2½.

ALBANY, GA

SHELBY COUNTY (EET).……RNAV (GPS) Rwy 16 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 34 VOR-A1 NA when local weather not available. 1 Category D, 800-2¼.

ALABASTER, AL

NAME

Standard alternate minimums for non-precision approaches and approaches with vertical guidance [NDB, VOR, LOC, TACAN, LDA, SDF, VOR/DME, ASR, RNAV (GPS) or RNAV (RNP)] are 800-2. Standard alternate minimums for precision approaches (ILS, PAR, or GLS) are 600-2. Airports within this geographical area that require alternate minimums other than standard or alternate minimums with restrictions are listed below. NA - means alternate minimums are not authorized due to unmonitored facility, absence of weather reporting service, or lack of adequate navigation coverage. Civil pilots see FAR 91. IFR Alternate Minimums: Ceiling and Visibility Minimums not applicable to USA/USN/USAF. Pilots must review the IFR Alternate Minimums Notes for alternate airfield suitability.

19115

A ALTERNATE MINS

8-12 Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

25 APR 2019 to 23 MAY 2019

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

Figure 8-10. Inoperative components or visual aids table —effects on minimums. (From IAP charts)

8-13

Figure 8-11. Approach lighting systems. (From IAP charts)

8-14 Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

8-15

Precision Instrument Runway Markings Threshold Markings Configuration 'A'

Aiming Point Marking

Designation Markings

20 L Side Stripes

Threshold

Touchdown Zone Marking

Threshold Markings Configuration 'B' Number of stripes related to runway width – see text

Holding Position Markings: ILS Critical Area

Detail 1

Runway holding position markings, yellow, see detail 1 ILS holding position markings, yellow, see detail 2

Detail 2

ILS Critical Area

Figure 8-12. Runway markings (from AIM). For complete details on runway and taxiway markings, see Figures 2-3-1 through 2-3-15 of the AIM.

8-16

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Some Sample Approach Charts

approach course (355°) is off about 25° or just within limits for a legal straight-in approach. Although this approach no longer exists, it’s a good example of how situational awareness is critical when flying less technically advanced airplanes: if the wind is 345° at 10 knots on the approach and the runway is lined up 25° right of the inbound course of 355°, the pilot must search out the right side of the windshield at minimums, expecting to see the runway extending even farther off to the right. Of course, the navigation display of a glass cockpit would probably show the extended inbound centerline of the runway and synthetic vision would give an outstanding picture of runway location. All aircraft would require some skillful and cautious maneuvering to join final a safe distance from the runway if breaking out at 500 feet AGL under these conditions. Figure 8-14 is VOR-A and VOR/DME-B approaches for Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. If the final approach course is more than 30° from a runway, the designation is VOR-A, VOR-B, NDB-A, NDB-B, etc., rather than VOR RWY 2, NDB RWY 10, etc., discussed earlier. Note that radar (from Lexington approach control) is required for VOR-A and, of course, DME equipment in the airplane is required for VOR/DME-B. These approaches are no longer in existence, having been replaced by NDB, NDB or GPS RWY 3 and GPS RWY 21, but looking at them brings up a few points on those types of approaches that need to be covered. The point is that only circling minimums are given, since an approach angle over 30° cannot be considered for a straight-in approach.

Following are different types of approaches as depicted in IAP charts. Study and “fly” each one in your mind, going through procedures step by step. The approach will be much clearer, and it will help your other approaches in the airplane.

VOR Approaches VOR RWY 2 Figure 8-13 is an example VOR approach to Centerville, Tennessee, using the since-decommissioned Graham VOR. To have a VOR approach for a specific runway (straight-in), the final approach course must be within 30° of the runway heading. The approach to Centerville is to Runway 2, which would have a lineup of close to 020° magnetic. It could be 016° or 024° magnetic, for instance (but assume that it’s 020°), so that the final

SE-1, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

SE-1, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

Figure 8-13. VOR RWY 2 approach for Centerville, Tennessee. Note that if you are unable to get the altimeter setting on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF — Unicom), using the Nashville altimeter setting raises the minimums, since BNA is 41 NM away.

VOR-A Note in the VOR-A approach in Figure 8-14 that the holding pattern associated with the missed approach procedure is shown by dashed lines to separate it from the en route or preapproach holding patterns (solid lines). The minimum safe altitude is 3,000 feet for 360° around the HYK (Lexington) VOR. Note that the minimum altitude is 3,000 feet until crossing the FILIE final approach fix (FAF). That would give you 8.8 NM to lose 1,300 feet, which would certainly seem to give plenty of time; but one of the more common errors of trainees and low-time instrument pilots is that on nonprecision approaches they cruise along from the FAF, losing little or no altitude until they suddenly realize that, whoops, we’re there! Another common error on nonprecision approaches is to realize that you have passed the FAF but forgot to note the time. The instructor or check pilot may asks, “When will we be there?” and you are sitting under the hood with sweat rolling down. Most instructors or check pilots will keep you hooded until the time for

Figure 8-14. VOR-A and VOR/DME-B IAP charts for Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. These have been replaced but are used as an example.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids 8-17

8-18

the missed approach at which point you are to “come contact.” If you haven’t noted the time at the FAF, this can be a pretty tough problem indeed. Note that the time from the FAF to the missed approach point is 5 minutes and 52 seconds at 90 knots groundspeed. The idea of the 5 Ts is a good one here (and other times too): Turn — (Not required at the FAF here but should always be considered.) Time — Utmost importance. Twist — Do you need to change frequencies? (Not in this case.) Throttle — You’ll probably want to reduce power at this point to set up a descent at the preselected approach speed. Talk — You’d make any reports that would apply to Lexington approach control. If you made a missed approach, you’d notify Lexington approach control after you’ve done whichever of the first four Ts are required. Too many pilots, once the FAF is passed, feel committed to land. Not so: Have the missed approach procedure in your mind before you start the approach. The FLM (117.0 MHz) shown as part of the missed approach procedure is the Falmouth, Kentucky, VOR/ DME. Note that JESTR, the 14-NM radar fix, is 13.8 NM from the MAP and is the IAF. If you don’t have RNAV, two VOR receivers would be a great help holding at CODEL after the missed approach. Your circling flight pattern would depend on several factors such as runway in use, other traffic, and ceiling and visibility. The AIM covers circling this way: Circling minimums — In some busy terminal areas, ATC may not allow circling and circling minimums will not be published. Published circling minimums provide obstacle clearance when pilots remain within the appropriate area of protection. Pilots should remain at or above the circling altitude until the aircraft is continuously in a position from which a descent to a landing on the intended runway can be made at a normal rate of descent using normal maneuvers. Circling may require maneuvers at low altitude, at low airspeed, and in marginal weather conditions. Pilots must use sound judgment, have an in-depth knowledge of their capabilities, and fully understand the aircraft performance to determine the exact circling maneuver since weather, unique airport design, and the aircraft position, altitude, and airspeed must all be considered. The following basic rules apply:

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

(1) Maneuver the shortest path to the base or downwind leg, as appropriate, considering existing weather conditions. There is no restriction from passing over the airport or other runways. (2) It should be recognized that circling maneuvers may be made while VFR or other flying is in progress at the airport. Standard left turns or specific instruction from the controller for maneuvering must be considered when circling to land. (3) At airports without a control tower, it may be desirable to fly over the airport to observe wind and turn indicators and other traffic which may be on the runway or flying in the vicinity of the airport. (4) Some charts will prohibit circling in certain quadrants, for certain runways, or at night. VOR/DME-B The Mt. Sterling VOR/DME-B is straightforward (Figure 8-14). The Lexington VORTAC is the initial approach fix and, as indicated earlier, the aircraft must have DME equipment to use it. The airport is 23.8 miles from the VORTAC. Notice that on the missed approach the “old” type of holding pattern for the missed approach procedure is depicted (see Figure 8-5B). Again, “fly” the approach in your mind, think of the power settings for each part of the approach for your airplane, and visualize the steps in the missed approach procedure. Other Approaches Figure 8-15 is an NDB or GPS RWY 18 approach for Winchester, Tennessee Note that the minimum safe altitude is 3,600 feet for all quadrants. The SDF (simplified directional facility) was discussed in Chapter 5. Go back and look at Figure 5-36B, an SDF approach to Morristown, Tennessee, again. Back course localizer approaches still exist but, as noted in Chapter 5, they are gradually being replaced at larger airports by additional front course or RNAV (GPS) approaches. You might go back and look at Figure 5-30 for the IAP chart presentation. The IAP charts selected here and those referred to in Chapter 5 are fairly simple introductions to the presentation of approach information. Some can get pretty cluttered with information at bigger airports with complex equipment, and Chapter 13 will cover some representative Nashville approaches in more detail to show your choices at the end of the sample trip. Radar Approaches Figure 8-16 shows civil radar instrument approach minimums for Huntsville as presented in the IAP chart volume.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

8-19

Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) — The ASR is designed to give relatively short-range coverage in the general vicinity of an airport and to be a quick and safe means of handling terminal area traffic precisely. The ASR can also be used as an instrument approach aid. The ASR scans 360° of azimuth and gives target information on the radar display in the approach control or center. Precision Approach Radar (PAR) — The PAR is used as a landing aid rather than an aid for sequencing aircraft as is the case for the ASR. It may be used as a primary landing aid or to monitor other types of approaches. It displays range, azimuth, and elevation information. Two antennas are used by the PAR, one scanning vertically, the other horizontally. The range is limited to 10 miles, the azimuth to 20°, and the elevation to 7°. Only the final approach area is covered. (The military used to refer to this system as GCA, or groundcontrolled approach, but now it is also termed Radar Final Control.)

Figure 8-15. NDB RWY 18 approach for Winchester, Tennessee.

If your navaid receivers were all out but you still could communicate, the ASR or PAR approach might be the answer. For instance, if you lost all electrical equipment but had a battery-powered hand-held transceiver, you might have a safe IFR arrival by using the just-mentioned facilities. At Huntsville, there are four ASR approaches available, plus circling minimums, as shown in Figure 8-16. N3

RADAR MINS 11321

HUNTSVILLE, AL

Amdt. 10, FEB 10, 2011 (FAA)

ELEV 629

HUNTSVILLE INTL-CARL T. JONES FIELD (HSV) RADAR- 125.6 354.1

RWY GS/TCH/RPI 36R 36L 18R 18L

ASR

CIRCLING

CAT AB AB AB AB

DA/ MDA-VIS 1020 /24 1000 /24 1060 /24 1160 /24

HAT/ HATh/ HAA CEIL-VIS 425 (500-½) 385 (400-½) 431 (500-½) 551 (600-½)

CAT CDE CDE CDE CDE

DA/ MDA-VIS 1020 /40 1000 /35 1060 /40 1160 /60

HAT/ HATh/ HAA CEIL-VIS 425 (500-¾) 385 (400-¾) 431 (500-¾) 551 (600-1¼)

AB D

1160 -1 1240 -2

531 (600-1) 611 (700-2)

C E

1160 -1½ 531 (600-1½) 1240 -2¼ 611 (700-2¼)

Lost Communications (All Rwys): As directed by ATC on initial contact. When control tower closed, procedure NA. CAT E circling NA east of Rwy 36R/18L. For inoperative MALSR, increase S-ASR 18L CAT E visibility to 2, S-36L and 36R CAT D visibility to1¼, CAT E visibility to 1½. For inoperative ALSF-2, increase S-ASR 18R CAT E visibility to 1½.

17 NOV 2011 to 15 DE

RADAR1 - Ctc ATLANTA APP CON (E) (125.5 323.1 241°-360°) (126.55 353.75 001°-150°) (126.025 285.525 151°-240°) NA When tower closed. HAT/ DA/ HATh/ RWY GS/TCH/RPI CAT MDA-VIS HAA CEIL-VIS PAR 33 3.0°/55/1048 AB 426/24 200 (200-½) CD 426/40 200 (200-¾) 15 3.0°/55/924 ABCD 426/40 200 (200-¾) RADAR 2 (ATLANTA) 2

2011 to 15 DEC 2011

Figure 8-16. Civil radar instrument approach minimums for Huntsville. You may want to refer to Figure 8-4 for some of the LAWSON AAF(KLSF),(FORT BENNING),GA (Columbus) (Amdt2,10210 USA) ELEV232 abbreviations.

8-20

As noted, the IAP chart volumes also contain rates of climb and rates of descent tables for various groundspeeds, citing climb and descent angles required. Chapter 13 will go into more detail on using the IAP charts but you should take plenty of time to study the IAP chart presentations now. During an approach is no place or time to realize that some of the symbols or notes are new to you.

Instrument Departure Procedure (DP) A DP is an ATC coded departure routing that has been established at certain airports to simplify clearance delivery procedures and traffic sequencing. Pilots of civil aircraft operating from locations where DP procedures are effective may expect ATC clearances containing a DP. Use of a DP requires pilot possession of the textual description or graphic depiction of the approved effective DP. If you don’t have a digital or printed copy of the DP or for some reason don’t wish to use a DP, you are expected to advise ATC. Notification may be accomplished by filing “NO DP” in the remarks section of the filed flight plan or by the less desirable method of verbally advising ATC. Controllers may omit the departure control frequency if a DP clearance is issued and the departure control frequency is published on the DP. Pilot nav — These DPs are established where the pilot is primarily responsible for navigation on the DP route. They are established for airports when terrain and safety-related factors indicate the necessity. Some pilot nav DPs may contain vector instructions that pilots are expected to comply with until instructions are received to resume normal navigation on the filed/assigned route or DP procedure. Vector DPs — These are established where ATC will provide radar navigational guidance to a filed/assigned route or to a fix depicted on the DP. All effective DPs are published in textual or graphic forms and some contain climb information. Figure 8-17 shows sample DP information. These charts are published every 8 weeks and are included with that particular airport’s approach charts.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) A STAR is an ATC coded IFR arrival route established for application to arriving IFR aircraft destined for certain airports. Its purpose is to simplify clearance delivery procedures and traffic sequencing. Pilots of IFR civil aircraft headed to locations for which STARs have been published may be issued a clearance containing a STAR whenever ATC deems it appropriate. Use of STARs requires pilot possession of at least the approved textual description. As with any ATC clearance or portion thereof, it is the responsibility of each pilot to accept or refuse an issued STAR. You should notify ATC if you do not wish to use a STAR by placing “NO STAR” in the remarks section of the flight plan or by verbally stating the same to ATC. Figure 8-18 is a legend and sample STAR chart for Nashville Airport. Pilots navigating on a STAR shall maintain the last assigned altitude until receiving authorization to descend so as to comply with all published/issued restrictions. This authorization will contain the phraseology “DESCEND VIA.” A “descend via” clearance authorizes pilots to navigate vertically and laterally, in accordance with the depicted procedure, to meet published restrictions. Vertical navigation is at the pilot’s discretion; however, adherence to published altitude crossing restrictions and speeds is mandatory unless otherwise cleared. Pilots cleared for vertical navigation using the terminology “descend via” shall inform ATC upon initial contact after changing to a new frequency. (For more details, check AIM.)

SE-1, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

SC-3, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011 SC-3, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

Figure 8-17. Instrument Departure Procedures from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Note that the pertinent information is listed on each type of DP. When taking off to the southeast at Corpus Christi, you’ll have to worry about flying the 7 DME arc.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids 8-21

SE-1, 17 NOV 2011 to 15 DEC 2011

Figure 8-18. Standard terminal arrival chart legend and sample for Nashville Airport.

8-22 Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

8-23

Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)

(Official Guide to Basic Flight Information and ATC Procedures) This FAA publication (Figure 8-19) contains instructional, training, and educational material that is basic and not often changed, such as the partial list discussed below.

Navigation Aids and Procedures Radio aids — This section covers the basics of the air navigation aids such as VOR, TACAN, and ILS, plus information on the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS). Aeronautical lighting and airport marking aids — Contains information on VASI and other airport lighting systems such as the rotating beacon, runway and approach lighting systems, obstruction lighting, and various types of runway markings (as shown in Figures 8-11 and 8-12). Airspace — Contains information on uncontrolled airspace and VFR and IFR requirements, minimum visibility and distance from clouds, altitudes, and flight levels. “Controlled airspace” discusses control areas, transition areas, and Class A, B, C, D, E, and G airspace. “Special-use airspace” is covered, particularly prohibited, restricted, warning areas plus military operations areas and alert and controlled firing areas. The section on “Other Airspace Areas” includes information on airport traffic areas, airport advisory areas, and other airspace. Air traffic control — Contains detailed coverage of such subjects as Centers, FSS’s, ATIS, designated Unisom and Multicom frequencies, use of radar for aid to VFR traffic, tower en route control, and transponder use. A section on radio communications phraseology and techniques notes the procedures for contacting various facilities, including contacting the tower when either all transmitters or all receivers are inoperative. Airport operations — Covers operations at towercontrolled airports, visual indicators, traffic patterns, braking action reports, intersection takeoffs, taxiing, use of aircraft lights, hand signals, and more. ATC clearances — Includes the factors that govern the pilot and ATC in clearances including adherence to the clearance, IFR separation standards, and the use of visual clearing procedures.

Figure 8-19. Aeronautical Information Manual.

Preflight — All about filing and closing VFR and IFR flight plans plus other good information on preflight preparation. Departure — Gives clearances, departure control, and departure procedures, with particular attention to IFR departures. En route procedures — Lots of information on airways and route systems, position reporting, and holding. Arrival procedures — Standard terminal arrivals (STARs), which were covered earlier in this chapter and in Chapter 13, are cited here plus all you need to know about the various approaches, including approach and landing minimums and missed approach procedures. Pilot/controller roles and responsibilities — More about clearances, approaches, missed approaches. Also there’s information on visual separation, VFR on top operations, and minimum-fuel advisories (what you are supposed to do and how the controller is to respond).

Emergency Procedures Your responsibilities and authority are covered here plus radar service available for VFR aircraft, transponder emergency operations, and search and rescue basics. Also there’s the word on two-way communications failure.

8-24

Safety of Flight Meteorology — FAA weather services, weather radar, PIREPs, wind shear, microbursts, and thunderstorms are covered here. (You might also review Chapter 7 in this book.) Altimeter setting procedures — Includes setting procedures, altimeter errors, and other helpful hints. Wake turbulence — Vortex generation, behavior and strength, avoidance procedures, and pilot responsibility. Bird hazards — Bird strike risks, reporting bird and other wildlife activities, and flights over U.S. wildlife refuges and other natural areas. Potential flight hazards — Cautions about midair collisions and flying under unmanned balloons; gives suggestions on mountain flying. Safety, accident, and hazard reports — Aircraft accidents and incident reporting and a discussion of the reporting program.

Medical Facts for Pilots This section of the AIM discusses fitness for flight, hyperventilation, carbon monoxide, illusions and vision in flight, aerobatic flight, and judgment aspects of collision avoidance.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Aeronautical Charts and Related Publications This section of the AIM includes descriptions of charts and chart services available with additional information on auxiliary charts and related publications.

Chart Supplements U.S. This publication is issued by the FAA Aeronautical Information Services every 56 days. It furnishes the latest information on airports and other aviation facilities. Figure 8-20 shows the coverage of the Chart Supplements U.S. for the United States. The Chart Supplement U.S. for each region contains information on airports and facilities for that region. Figure 8-21 shows airport information for Memphis and Nashville. Make sure you have all of this information with you for your origin, destination, alternate and any other airports that may become your alternate in an emergency. The Chart Supplements U.S. has locations of VOR Receiver Checkpoints and VOR Test Facilities (VOT).

Figure 8-20. The Chart Supplements U.S. has seven separate volumes for the conterminous United States.

Chapter 8 / Charts and Other Printed Aids

8-25

Figure 8-21. Chart Supplements U.S. Data for Memphis and Nashville airports and facilities. A full explanation of the symbols is given in the Appendix of this book.

8-26

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

Figure 8-21. Chart Supplements U.S. Data for Memphis and Nashville airports and facilities. A full explanation of the symbols is given in the Appendix of this book. (Continued.)

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs)

Summary

NOTAM information is classified into four categories: NOTAM (D) or distanced, Flight Data Center (FDC) NOTAMs, pointer NOTAMs, and military NOTAMs. NOTAMs for your route of flight are available electronically via the FAA Air Traffic/Flight Info website, the 1800wxbrief website (part of the flight planning program) or phone, commercial vendors, and ADS-B In. Note that the ADS-B In (FIS-B) may not cover NOTAMs older than 30 days, so the information may not be as complete as from a standard briefing from FSS. If you have a problem caused by not checking NOTAMs before a flight, you would be responsible (see 14 CFR §§91.3 and 91.103).

Instrument charts and other information sources are constantly changing. This chapter has taken a general look at the types of information available, but you might find that some details or methods of presenting information may have changed before you read this. The point is to use this as an introduction to charts and other services. When you get the instrument rating, make sure that you are able to get the latest changes or corrections to the material you are using.

9

Planning the Navigation Maybe later you’ll be able to grab an en route chart and an approach procedures chart and do a real good job of flying IFR. But for now you’d better make sure that you’ve gone over the situation with a fine-tooth comb.

Checking the Route Look at the en route chart. Check your proposed route, and it might not be a bad idea for your first few flights to mark along the route with a black or green pen. The VOR airways and radio data will be in blue on the map, so you’ll want a contrasting color. While red would be great for daytime work, it would be hard to spot in red cockpit lighting at night. Take a few minutes to get a rough idea of distances and the VOR names and frequencies en route. What about the minimum en route altitudes (MEAs)? You can file for several different altitudes, but most pilots generally will file for the highest MEA (or the next 1,000 feet higher) for the route unless there’s a wide divergence in MEAs along the way. The route for the Memphis to Nashville practice flight is the ELVIS 4 departure procedure ETREE transition, direct KERMI, V54, Rocket VOR (RQZ), RQZ transition VOLLS1 arrival into BNA. Look at the en route chart in the back of this book and trace the route as it goes east into Muscle Shoals (MSL). Look at other routes that ATC might give you if there is a reason not to fly this route (weather, traffic saturation, or TFRs are possibilities). One in-flight problem is getting a clearance for an alternate (strange) route and then being unable to find it on the map right away. If you have your main route well marked, you will at least know where it is as a starting point and can more easily find the alternate routes to either side. In congested areas there will be a maze of airways and possible alternates, so make it easy on yourself. Maybe you don’t want to mark up your chart. But if you have subscribed to the service, you’ll get a new one every 56 days anyway; and if you make the

trip several times in that period, the route will already be marked. You’ll find that after flying the same route a few times, you’ll know every intersection along the way and won’t be so astounded by the way the airline pilots seem to come back so quickly with clearances. When you are planning a route into a new area of expected higher terrain, you should examine the sectional chart to get a general look at geographic and topographic points. It would be helpful to have some idea of possible obstruction problems if things don’t go perfectly. You should carry a set of sectional charts of your flight route in case you have to do some flying by reference to the ground. Of course, using an electronic flight bag (EFB) is even more convenient, since it allows you to have combination charts loaded that will display information from the IFR charts and terrain and other details from sectional charts. This doesn’t exactly tie in with planning the navigation, but you should consider oxygen equipment. If you have your own airplane or are flying a company airplane all the time, why not have an oxygen bottle and masks available? Not only might you have to fly at higher than usual altitudes, but what if one of your passengers needs oxygen when you are on solid IFR and can’t get down immediately?

Flight Log A flight log will be of particular value during your training. Making such a log will ensure your having some advance knowledge of the route. By the time you get to instrument training, it’s likely that you’ll have a good idea of cruising speeds (true airspeed, TAS) at expected cross-country altitudes for your airplane. Or, if you are the thorough type, you may check the power setting chart for TAS for the chosen altitudes for 65% (or 75%) power. Then you could feed in wind information for that altitude as it would apply. 9-1

9-2

When flying IFR and using radio aids, the wind side of the computer will be of less value than before, and you won’t usually work out wind triangles. It’s still an aid in figuring out your estimated groundspeed, however. You should be conscientious in planning, since you’ll want to be within the 3-minute allowance at your reporting points if not in radar contact with the Center. With radar contact, the Center will be keeping right up and will know your position about as well as you do. Back to the wind problem: In dead reckoning, precomputing of the drift correction is necessary. Here it is not — you’ll take care of that with the VOR left-right needle (course deviation indicator, to be more technical). You are interested in the component of wind acting along the route (for or against), and for a quick estimate (if your airplane lacks GPS) you can use the following: The forecast wind at your altitude will be given in knots and true direction. Your course is magnetic; and in areas where large magnetic variation exists, a correction is necessary. If you are flying in an area where the variation is 5° or less either way, forget it. Consider the true direction as being magnetic in getting a quick estimate. For wind directly on the tail, use full value (25 knots, etc.) to get groundspeed. Figure 9-1 shows the idea. As an example, suppose your course is 065° magnetic, TAS is 150 knots, the wind is from 280° (true) at 30 knots at the altitude chosen. Assume that variation is small and can be ignored. If the wind was right on the

Figure 9-1. Multipliers for head- or tailwind components at various angles to the course line: 0°—use full value (head or tail), 15°—use full value given, 30°—use 0.9 of value, 45°— use 0.7 of value, 60°—use 0.5 of value, 75°—use 0.3 of value, 90°—no value.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

tail, it would be from 245°. Here it is 35° off the (left) tail; the component of wind acting along the course (picking the nearest value) is 0.9 of 30, or 27 knots. Your groundspeed at that altitude will be 150 + 27 = 177 knots. To check the possible inaccuracies, reference to a trigonometric table would show that a wind at a 35° angle to the tail would have a component (along the course) of 0.81915 (the cosine of the angle) or about 82% of the wind value. This would mean a component of 24.5 knots or a groundspeed of 174.5 knots. On a 400-NM trip this would mean a difference of about 3 minutes total time. You could split the difference between 30° (0.7) and 45° (0.9) for 35° and get 0.8, which would make it even more accurate. Only minor errors would result on this or any trip with the normally expected distance between check points by using this method. How much time do you allow if you are climbing en route to the next reporting point? For fixed-gear airplanes add ⅔ min/l,000 feet to be climbed. For single-engine, retractable-gear airplanes and light twins add ½ min/l,000 feet. As an example, suppose you are flying a single-engine, retractablegear airplane and plan to fly at an altitude of 8,000 feet (MSL). The airport elevation is 2,000 feet, so you’ll have to climb 6,000 feet to get to that altitude. The first leg is 50 NM, and you compute that at cruise speed it would take 20 minutes. For your climb you would add 3 minutes (6 × ½ minute) to get a total of 23 minutes ETE (estimated time en route). For the same leg in a fixed-gear type, you might get an ETE at cruise of 23 minutes. Adding the ⅔ min/1,000 feet you’d get (6 × ⅔ = 4), or 4 + 23 = 27 minutes for the leg, including climb. Expect these thumb rules to be accurate up to assigned altitudes of about 12,000 feet MSL. On the flight log you can take into account the time required to fly from the fix serving the destination airport (VOR, etc.) to the destination airport for your own purposes. However, when you file the flight plan, you’ll include only the flying time from the takeoff to the en route navigation aid serving the destination airport and then to the final approach fix. For the practice flight from Memphis to Nashville, the FSS (1800wxbrief.com) flight planning system will be used, including the flight log feature, which takes into account the aircraft performance data, forecast winds for the time of flight, and the route specifics. As a part of your preflight planning and flight log work, look over the approach charts for the destination airport, alternate airport, and the airport of departure. Be sure to have these latter approach charts accessible during takeoff — you might have problems and have to return to the airport of departure.

Chapter 9 / Planning the Navigation

Alternate Airport In earlier times an alternate airport was required for all IFR flights; and your airplane had to carry enough fuel to complete the flight to the first intended point of landing, to fly from that point to an alternate airport, and to fly thereafter for 45 minutes at normal cruising speeds. In Chapter 8 the weather minimums for alternate airports as listed on approach charts are discussed. (14 CFR §91.169 states that the alternate airport requirement considers weather reports and forecasts and weather conditions.) You are allowed to omit the designation of an alternate airport on the IFR flight plan provided the first airport of intended landing has a standard instrument approach procedure and, for at least 1 hour before and for 1 hour after the estimated time of arrival, the weather reports or forecasts or any combination of them indicate that the ceiling will be at least 2,000 feet above the airport elevation and the visibility will be at least 3 miles. (Remember 1, 2, 3.) If no instrument approach procedure has been published and no special instrument approach procedure has been issued by the Administrator to the operator, for the alternate airport, the ceiling and visibility minimums are those allowing descent from the MEA, approach, and landing under basic VFR. See 14 CFR §91.169 for details on all aircraft categories. If an alternate airport is required, be sure to plan the flight from the destination to the alternate. It’s disconcerting to get to the destination and discover that it’s gone below minimums, and you are faced with flying a route to the alternate that you haven’t really checked out. Later, with more experience, you’ll be able to pick the figures right off the en route chart. Looking below at the non-standard alternate weather requirements (as found in Terminal Procedures Publication, SE1) for Clarksville, Tennessee’s Outlaw Field, the alternate airport for the practice trip: CLARKSVILLE, TN Outlaw Field (CKV)......................... LOC Rwy 35  RNAV (GPS) Rwy 17  RNAV (GPS) Rwy 35 NA when local weather not available. As you can see, you won’t be able to use these approaches for alternate planning if the ASOS for Outlaw Field is out of service. Since the 4th approach, VOR RWY 35, doesn’t have non-standard alternate minimums, that one could be in your plan.

9-3

Actually Planning the Trip For this sample flight you will be using a Zephyr Six, a four-place single-engine, retractable-gear, high-performance airplane. Following are its specifications: Engine — Lycoming IO-540, 260 hp Gross weight — 2,900 lb Basic empty weight — 1,744 lb Total fuel — 60 gal Usable fuel — 56 gal (6 lb/gal) Baggage capacity — 200 lb You weigh 160 pounds and have two passengers weighing 190 and 210 pounds respectively. The baggage to be carried weighs 150 pounds. Since the unusable fuel (4 gal) and oil (23 lb) is already included in the basic empty weight of 1,744 pounds, you’ll only add the weight of 56 gallons of usable fuel. The arms given here are the same as those used in Chapter 3 for the first example of weight and balance and would be given on the weight and balance form of the airplane. Weight (lb.)

Arm (in.) Moment

Basic empty weight

1,744

142,927

Fuel (56 gal)

336

90.0

30,240

Pilot

160

84.8

13,568

Passenger (front)

190

84.8

16,112

Passenger (rear)

210

118.5

24,885

Baggage

150

142.0

21,300

Item

Total

2,790 lb

249,032 lb-in.

Adding the 1,266 lb-in. for gear retraction as required in Figure 3-22, the total moment is 250,298 lb-in. You can see that you have 110 pounds to spare in weight, but the CG should be checked by dividing the total moment by the total weight, getting an answer of 89.7 inches (rounded off) aft of the datum. A check of Figure 3-22, which is the weight and balance envelope for this airplane, shows that the CG is within the limits. The heavy passenger was placed in the rear seat to give the worst loading combination for this example. Looking at the en route chart and planning to fly (on paper) a slightly roundabout route from Memphis to Nashville via the ELVIS 4 departure (standard instrument departure—SID), ETREE (“East 3”) transition,

9-4

direct to the KERMI intersection on V54, via V54 to RQZ VOR (“Rocket,” it’s Huntsville, Alabama, after all) and the RQZ transition of the VOLLS 1 arrival (standard arrival—STAR) to BNA. In addition, Clarksville will be your alternate, so the 45 or so NM from BNA to CKV has to be considered. For this example, the headwind at 4,000 feet (your estimated altitude if you have to divert to Clarksville) won’t affect you too much, since at BNA the wind is forecast westerly at about 13 knots at 4,000 feet, interpolated). You will have a tailwind until you reach the VANDD intersection and turn to the northwest on the arrival, where you’ll pick up a 15–20 knot headwind component. It’s 278 NM from MEM to BNA and 46 NM on to CKV if you have to divert (and don’t choose somewhere closer) for a total of 324 NM to be flown. Looking back at Figure 3-12, you’ll note that at 7,000 feet (density altitude) the TAS at 65% is 150 knots. Figure 3-13 indicates that this airplane uses 12.7 gallons per hour when properly leaned at 65%. For cabin noise and engine wear, 2,100 RPM and 23.5 inches of manifold pressure will be used to get the 65% at 7,000 feet. Using a CX-3 Flight Computer, or in this case, the flight planning function of the 1800wxbrief website, a somewhat conservative no-wind scenario can be checked. All but the last 51 NM of the 278 NM journey into Nashville are with the wind, so the no-wind analysis on the MEM–BNA flight should show a higher fuel burn than reality. Setting the aircraft’s profile on the website for 2.0 gallons of fuel for taxi/takeoff, an increased burn rate of 15 gallons per hour for the 6,700-foot climb to the 7,000 feet cruise altitude, cruise burn of 12.7 gallons per hour, cruise TAS of 150 knots, and a reduced descent fuel burn of 7.0 gallons per hour, the planning system (NavLog) shows a total fuel burn of 25.9 gallons of the 56 available. Since the 46 NM divert to Clarksville would have a headwind component, the no wind fuel burn from the system is not obviously conservative. But the fact that it requires a new flight to be planned, into the system, including the 2.0 gallons of fuel for taxi and takeoff, gives a reasonable total fuel burn of 6.2 gallons for the BNA–CKV leg. So far, the fuel for the trip and divert to the alternate is 32.1 gallons. Add in the required 45 minutes of reserve (0.75 × 12.7 gallons/hour) of 9.5 and the total come to 41.6 (call it 42). With a useable fuel of 56 gallons, the airplane should have an hour’s additional fuel over our conservative estimate. Now, using the NavLog feature with the forecast winds at the approximate time of the flight, the burns

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

are 24.1 (lower), 6.3 (higher) with the reserve the same of course at 9.5, giving a total of 39.9 gallons required. The convenience of the electronic flight planning system takes away the need to do a rough check with an E6B to see if a flight might be feasible. Just be sure that you err on the conservative side by rounding times and quantities up. Of course, no commitment to the flight should be made until a thorough look at the weather for the departure and arrival times has been made, all pertinent NOTAMs and TFRs reviewed, and the final, more accurate flight log is made. Figure 9-2 is a no-wind flight log from the NavLog system. Even with an electronic flight bag and glass cockpit, a paper “kneeboard” flight log should be printed. It has pre-plotted areas for writing the various frequencies for departure and arrival airports, ATIS/ METARs for each airport, and the departure clearance plus enough room left over to jot down taxi instructions and last-minute clearance changes. The symbols and aid in ascertaining from the flight log whether the particular fix is a compulsory reporting point. You may use your own shorthand; for instance, an X or an asterisk (*) can be used as a symbol for “intersection.” Figure 9-3 is the ELVIS 4 SID with both the graphic and the departure route description.

Flight Plan Figure 9-4 shows a sample flight plan form page filled out for the practice flight in the Zephyr 6 as shown on the FSS website. The ICAO form is included here because of the possibility of the domestic form being replaced by it in the future. A nice feature of the website (and some commercial flight planning services) is the ability to save both favorite routes and favorite airplanes. Also very handy are the drop-down menus for equipment, surveillance codes, and color codes.

Domestic Flight Plan Form Flight rules—IFR, naturally. Aircraft ID—The full registration number. The dropdown menu allows a choice between saved aircraft. Aircraft type—This is the official designation to the aircraft. For instance, the Piper Aztec’s type is PA-23250, not Aztec. The search feature starts with manufacturer and offers hundreds of type designations. Aircraft Equipment—The menu offers the list of equipment codes as listed in AIM, section 5-1-8.

Chapter 9 / Planning the Navigation

9-5

Figure 9-2. No-wind flight log from the NavLog system.

The Zephyr ZA-6 has GNSS with a Mode C transponder capability (via ADS-B Out). At the time of this writing, ADS-B equipment codes are not listed for domestic flight plans. Number of Aircraft—A flight of 1 Zephyr. Heavy—Not applicable under 300,000-pound max gross takeoff weight. Airspeed—The planned true airspeed for the cruise portion of the flight in knots (NM/hour). Don’t make the mistake of thinking in terms of groundspeed on the flight plan form. Altitude—The planned cruising altitude in 100s of feet, so 070 = 7,000 feet. Generally, you’ll file odd thousands eastbound (0°–179°) and even thousands for westbound flights (180°–359°). You may be assigned an altitude that disagrees with this and you can always request a wrong way altitude en route (“Memphis

Center, 56J, I’m in the tops with constant moderate chop at 7,000, request 8,000”), but traffic may preclude getting it. Departure—KMEM in this case. Domestically, the ICAO identifier isn’t necessary, so MEM would be sufficient. Departure Date and Time—The date with proposed departure time. You are able to select the time zone, including UTC (Zulu) via a drop-down menu. Route of Flight—The routing requested (may differ from the clearance received, however). There is no need to put the origin or destination in here, and leaving it blank means a request of direct. Destination airport—Nashville, in this case. Time Enroute—The flight time in hours and minutes based on the requested route, TAS, and forecast winds.

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Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

SE-1, 11 OCT 2018 to 08 NOV 2018 SE-1, 11 OCT 2018 to 08 NOV 2018 SE-1, 11 OCT 2018 to 08 NOV 2018 SE-1, 11 OCT 2018 to 08 NOV 2018

Figure 9-3. The ELVIS FOUR DEPARTURE.

Chapter 9 / Planning the Navigation

Figure 9-4. The flight plan page (both domestic and ICAO forms are shown) for the example flight as shown on the FSS website.

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9-8

Fuel on Board—Total flight time available from the fuel on board (hours and minutes). This is slightly rounded down in this case with 56 gallons available and a cruise fuel burn of 12.7 gallons per hour (0400 versus 0420). No. on board—Total souls on board, including infants. Alternate 1—The first alternate airport, if required. Clarksville, Tennessee’s Outlaw Field, in this case. Alternate 2—If desired or required by your employer’s rules (charter or airline). Pilot Contact Information—How to get in contact with the PIC. Having a second contact who will not be on the flight is a good idea. Aircraft Color—The predominant aircraft colors, in this case white and blue. The next box contains specifications for the FSS briefing and navigation log features. Along the bottom are options for how detailed a brief is requested via the website, along with the NavLog function. Selecting the NavLog will offer options for what will be shown on the calculated flight log (as seen in Figure 9-2), plus the option of a no-wind calculation. The NavLog will use forecast winds for the approximate time of flight, unless “no-wind” is selected. Once satisfied with the flight plan, weather and fuel situation, select the File button.

International Flight Plan Form Having selected ICAO on the 1800wxbrief Flight Planning and Briefing page, you can select your aircraft and a favorite route again. Covered below are just the obvious differences in this form: Type of Flight—This is optional and has codes of G for general aviation and N for non-scheduled air transport, among others. The codes are listed here, but not defined (see AIM). Wake Turbulence—L (light, less than 15,500 pounds MTOW) for the Zephyr 6. Aircraft Equipment—The drop-down menu has the selectable codes and their explanations. The codes applicable to the ZA-6 are S: VOR/VHF comm/ILS; F: ADF; G: GNSS. Cruising Speed—with N signifying knots. Level—“A” for altitude (versus “F” for flight level) and the altitude in 100s of feet. Surveillance Equipment—Another selectable menu, with C meaning Mode C capabilities and U2 meaning ADS-B In and Out with the UAT system. Supplemental information blocks are shown for search/rescue and survival equipment.

Part Three / Planning the Instrument Flight

This form has all of the same briefing, flight planning, and filing options available as the domestic flight plan form.

Summary Good preflight planning can make the difference between a no-sweat situation and everything turning to worms. You’ll work out your own shorthand for use on the flight log and clearance copying. A small clipboard can be modified to have an elastic band (with a snap fastener) for strapping around your leg or on the control wheel, or you may want to buy one of the custom-made clipboards you see in ads in aviation magazines. Figure 9-5 shows the probable order of your paperwork on the clipboard. If you’re using an electronic flight bag for your charts, be sure to be fully familiar with it. Select the charts and features that you want at the forefront and chair fly the flight with the tablet. This technology has some great advantages over the old-school, all-paper flight, but fumbling with a tablet (trying to find that critical bookmarked page) can be as distracting as dropping the paper approach chart at the worst possible time. The flight planning ideas offered in this chapter may make the instrument flight seem very complicated; this is not the case at all in the vast majority of IFR trips. As the ATC system continues to improve, the headaches of “reporting points” will be completely phased out. It’s unlikely that you will make any routine reports after the departure to the approach. However, since reporting points are still required on some flights (in certain areas), this book will try to cover different possibilities. Part of preflight planning is ensuring that if you should lose all radios you know the route to better (VFR) weather. Later in your training you will probably dispense with the flight log and will use the en route chart for that purpose.

Figure 9-5. Probable order of paperwork on the kneeboard.

Part Four The Instrument Flight

4

10

Before the Takeoff It’s important that you make a thorough preflight inspection anytime you fly, but for IFR work it’s vital. For instance, you just get leveled off at your assigned altitude and are solidly on the gauges, when one of the passengers says, “Hey, there’s a solid stream of gas pouring off the back of both wings.” You were in a kind of a hurry to get off. You saw the lineman fueling, so were sure that the tanks were full and didn’t bother to check that the caps were on properly or secured. Now you have two choices: (1) Continue on your way and hope to complete the trip before you lose all the fuel (that’s asking for it) or (2) let ATC in on the act and get a clearance to the nearest airport that has an instrument approach. Well, in that case, by not using 15 seconds of your valuable time, you’ve caused the reshuffling of IFR traffic clear back to What Cheer, Iowa. Assuming you make it safely, the least you’ve done is to have caused a lot of people a lot of trouble.

Preflight Inspection Figure 10-1 is a preflight inspection for a light twinengine airplane showing special IFR items to consider. (As far as checking the rest of the airplane is concerned, if you don’t have a check system set up already, then it’s too late to bring it up here.) The following check is meant to bring up some ideas rather than give a specific system. There are too many airplane types and variations in antennas and other equipment for this to hit your situation exactly, but you should use the POH recommended preflight inspection and other procedures for your airplane as available. 1. As always, the first thing to do is to make sure all the switches are OFF. 2. Shown at (2) is a combination navigation-communications (broadband) antenna. Check it for security of attachment and general condition.

3. This is a broadband communications antenna. Check it for security and general condition. (Of course, your airplane may be using whip antennas and you should check them carefully.) 4. The marker beacon antenna may not be in the exact spot on the belly as shown in Figure 10-1 and may be the older type, but you should check it for security and possible dirt and oil on it. (The dirt and oil problem is usually worse on a single-engine airplane.) 5. Check the automatic direction finder loop housing and the sensing antenna for security and general condition. The GPS antenna is on top of the fuselage for best satellite reception. It might be either a rectangular or teardrop-shaped bump, or might be incorporated into the VHF antenna. These antennas should not be painted. 6. If your airplane has the “separate pitot tube and static inlet” system, make sure that the static vents are clear. Some airplanes have these static vents nearer the tail cone, while others may have them farther forward than shown.

Figure 10-1. A preflight inspection showing items of special interest for IFR operations.

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10-2

7. This number covers deicer boots. You would check the boots as you came to them in your clockwise (or counterclockwise) check. The statements made about the tail deicers will stand for the wing boots, hence the same reference numbers. Check for the condition of the rubber to ensure that there are no large cracks that could cause leaks. Check the attachment of the boots to the airframe. Inspect the leading age of the anti-ice (weeping wing) system for damage as you perform the preflight inspection and ensure that the reservoir is full. Perform any preflight tests on the system (either now, or after engine start, as called for in the POH supplement). 8. Shown here on the top of the fin is a whip (V type) VOR/LOC antenna. If your plane has such an antenna, check it for security and general condition. 9. If your plane has static wicks, which are designed to gradually discharge static electricity buildups, check them for security. Their job is to keep radio static down when the plane is flying through rain and other precipitation (or dust in extreme cases). You’ll get the wing static wicks as you come to them. 10. The DME antenna is likely to be on the belly in the area of the spot indicated. Look it over. If you are not sure of the various types of antennas on your plane, you might review Chapter 5 or talk to some of the old hands around the airport. There may be some pretty exotic looking antennas. The transponder antenna will be quite similar (in the majority of types) to the small DME blade antenna and will be on the belly in or near the center section. 11. You should have full tanks and secured fuel tank caps. Unless weight and balance considerations for a particular passenger and baggage loading require otherwise, always have full tanks when going IFR. In a partially filled tank situation you’d better know exactly how much fuel the plane has and how much will be needed. Remember, you may have to hold or go to an alternate airport (or both). 12. The pitot tube is shown as being attached to the bottom of the left wing on this sample airplane. Check the pitot tube opening for obstructions. If this is a pitot-static combination, check the static vents for obstructions. Make sure the assembly is firmly attached, whether left or right wing or fuselage. Check the pitot heat as per the POH.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

13. If the plane has electric prop deicers, check the slip ring and brush-block assemblies. If in doubt concerning their condition, have a mechanic check them. The propeller heating elements are wires or foil encased in an oil- and abrasion-resistant pad of rubber bonded to each propeller blade. Check these for general conditions, including bonding integrity and worn or torn rubber. 14. Make sure that the oil is at the proper level and the oil cap is secure. 15. A clean windshield is a lot of help when you break out on final. Check the windshield wiper blades if the airplane is so equipped. 16. Shown in the figure is the older type of glide slope antenna. Make sure that it is on securely. (Well, it certainly looks like a handle to be used to pull the airplane and may have been used for that.) 17. If the airplane uses a propeller fluid anti-icing system, check the fluid level and make sure the outlets aren’t clogged and that the cap and flap are secure after you’ve done so. During the check make sure that the fuel sumps and strainers are drained. Water in the sumps may freeze if the airplane is left out overnight in the winter, and the quick-drains may be “stuck” to where they cannot be moved. There may be just a drop or so of water frozen in the assembly, or there may be enough built-up ice in there to cut off part of the fuel flow. Everything is fine while you taxi, and maybe nothing shows up during the run-up; but when full power is applied, the engine(s) is just not getting enough fuel to pull it off. This could happen just as you lifted off into the murk (and drained the carburetor float chamber). Even if you discover this problem during the run-up (or earlier), it means taxiing back to take care of it, with a resulting time loss. If the drains won’t drain, find out why and thaw them as necessary. Don’t, however, be like Archibald Zorp, instrument pilot, who expedited the thawing process with an acetylene torch. Not only was his airplane completely thawed all over, but several other airplanes and one-half the hangar received the benefit of his efforts. Archibald has yet to make the instrument flight he planned so carefully. (He is now busily growing back his eyebrows.) Check the alternator(s) belt(s) if you can see into that area. When you get into the cabin, make sure that your checklist includes moving the fuel selectors to verify the ease of switching tanks. It could cause trouble if you fly all fuel out of a tank (or tanks) and then discover, some miles from an airport, that the selector can’t be moved to another tank.

Chapter 10 / Before the Takeoff

Starting There is little to be added in regard to starting. You have the word on starting your particular airplane. Make sure all avionics are off to save the battery. Also, the sudden surge of power through the system on starting doesn’t do radios any good at all, so leave them off. Use the POH procedure. As noted earlier in Chapter 4 (“Instrument Takeoff”) allow 5 minutes for the vacuum- or pressure-pump(s) to bring the gyros up to speed.

Clearance and Taxi You’ll get the ATIS frequency of 127.75 from the airport diagram and copy the information down:

“MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DEPARTURE INFORMATION UNIFORM, ONETHREE-FIVE-FOUR ZULU, WIND ZERO-TWOZERO AT NINER, VISIBILITY ONE-ZERO, ONE-THOUSAND-ONE-HUNDRED SCATTERED, CEILING FIVE-THOUSAND-FIVEHUNDRED BROKEN, TWO-ZERO-THOUSAND OVERCAST, TEMPERATURE EIGHT, DEW POINT SEVEN, ALTIMETER THREE-ZEROTWO-EIGHT, DEPARTURES EXPECT RUNWAY THREE-SIX LEFT, RUNWAY THREE-SIX RIGHT, NOTICE TO AIRMAN, RUNWAY 36 CENTER CLOSED, TAXIWAY NOVEMBER NORTH OF TAXIWAY MIKE NINE CLOSED, TAXIWAY ROMEO EAST OF RUNWAY THREE-SIX RIGHT CLOSED. ADVISE ON INITIAL CONTACT YOU HAVE INFORMATION UNIFORM.”

Next will be your call to clearance delivery on 125.2 from your parking spot at the East FBO (see Figure 10-2): You: “MEMPHIS CLEARANCE, ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, IFR TO NASHVILLE, INFORMATION UNIFORM.” ATC: “ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, YOU ARE CLEARED TO THE NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT VIA THE ELVIS 4 DEPARTURE, EAST THREE TRANSITION, AS FILED, CLIMB VIA SID, DEPARTURE FREQUENCY 124.15, SQUAWK 6446.” You would read back the entire clearance, asking for clarification of anything you might have missed.

10-3

ATC: “ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, READ BACK CORRECT, CONTACT GROUND CONTROL ON 121.9 WHEN READY TO TAXI.” The clearance follows the general format of: 1. Aircraft ID. 2. Clearance limit (Nashville). 3. Departure procedure or other, for example, “Fly runway heading.” 4. Route of flight, which as above, can include as filed. Here might be where you receive a routing change due to ATC traffic saturation or weather interfering with flow. An advantage of getting the clearance before engine start is that if a massive reroute is involved, you can start the flight planning process over again to see if the new route is even feasible. Extensive reroutes are fairly rare occurrences. 5. Altitude to maintain, unless it’s contained in the departure procedure. The Elvis 4 graphic has “Top Altitude: (Jets) 5000 (Props) 3000” top center, so “climb via” means that 3,000 feet is the assigned altitude for any propeller airplanes. If the clearance contained the phrase “climb via SID except maintain two-thousand-five-hundred,” then that altitude would be controlling, so you would fly the published DP laterally, but modify the top altitude. 6. Any special information. 7. Frequency and transponder code. You know you’re climbing to 3,000 feet because of the “climb via”, but what else does the SID direct you to do? Looking at the graphic of the Elvis 4, note that taking off from runway 36R, there is an arrow going east labeled “non-turbojet aircraft” with a 047° heading associated with it. You can double-check this by reading the text on page 2 of the SID where it says “Takeoff Rwy 36R climbing right turn heading 047° or as assigned by ATC, thence…” and then below this, “… expect vectors to join assigned transition radial.” So, unless the tower assigns a different heading or altitude, at the departure end of the runway and above 400 feet AGL, turn right to 047° and climb to 3,000 feet. If the clearance is one with which you can’t comply, let them know and request a new one. There might be a delay, but it’s better not to push a clearance. “Yeah, I think I can comply with that…” is not a thought to have. A suggestion is to write your filed/expected routing down on the flight log (before your call) with plenty of spacing between fixes and airways so that you can check off what matches, but also have room to jot down any changes. The bottom line is to never depart if you have any questions about the clearance.

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Figure 10-2. Taxi route (southbound gray arrows).

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Chapter 10 / Before the Takeoff

It’s best to get your clearance before starting engines and taxiing, but sometimes this won’t be possible. More than one airplane has departed the taxiway while the pilot copied a clearance while on the roll, so find a good place to stop before going heads down. After start and when ready to taxi, turn your transponder on and call Ground Control on 121.9: You: “MEMPHIS GROUND, ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, EAST FBO, INFORMATION UNIFORM, READY TO TAXI.” ATC: “ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, RUNWAY THREESIX RIGHT, TAXI VIA YANKEE, QUEBEC, HOLD SHORT OF THREE-SIX RIGHT.” You: “ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, RUNWAY THREE-SIX RIGHT VIA YANKEE, QUEBEC, HOLD SHORT OF THREE-SIX RIGHT.” Always acknowledge hold short instructions with both the hold short point and your complete call sign. ATC: “ZEPHYR 56 JULIET, READ BACK CORRECT.” You make a left turn out of the ramp southbound on Yankee, taxi about 2 statute miles and turn right on Quebec (Romeo is closed east of the runway) and hold short of the runway.

Pretakeoff Check You will, of course, check the controls, trim settings, manifold heat, magnetos, and prop controls as given in the POH. If icing is even a remote possibility, you should check all of the systems you have on board. Monitor the ammeter as you cycle the electric prop deicer and check inflatable boots for operation. Even though you filed at 4,000 feet and the freezing level is forecast at 8,000 feet, traffic, turbulence or a bad forecast might find you in icing conditions. The turn and slip or turn coordinator should be checked as you taxi. The heading indicator and attitude indicator should be holding. (Set the heading indicator to the compass; set the attitude indicator as near to the actual attitude of the airplane as possible.) The vacuum pressure should be normal. In the twin both vacuum pumps should be working, as indicated by either the manual selector on the panel or the lack of red indicators on either of the vacuum gauges (whichever type of equipment you have). Check pitot heat (ammeter). The radios will be of “great interest” and you should check all such equipment. The avionics check should include all communications and navigation equipment.

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If you had to taxi before getting your clearance, don’t sit there with all the radios on and lights up bright draining the battery. The use of alternators has alleviated this problem somewhat, but you may have to run the engine(s) to a higher rpm. An added point: If it’s night, you wouldn’t want to sit at the warm-up area with taxi lights (and/or landing lights) and white cabin lights on. (White cabin lights raise havoc with night vision.) Don’t turn on the strobes until taking the runway. Leave the navigation (position) lights and rotating beacon on, unless you want a 767 or something in the cabin with you. Speaking generally about pretakeoff checks, it would be very well for you to make up a new checklist for your particular airplane and include the special checks for IFR flight in the places where they would apply. (For instance, the vacuum pressure check might fall logically right after the magneto check, etc.) Check the deicer boot operation (if you have them), as outlined in the Supplement to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook. You might want to underline the special IFR checks to separate them from the usual VFR check items. If you are getting formal instrument training with a flight school, such a checklist may already be available. There are too many different airplane models to set up a pretakeoff check here, and you’ll probably have plenty of VFR experience in the airplane before taking IFR training.

En Route Clearance The clearance you’ll get before departure normally will be to the airport of intended landing. Under some rare conditions, a short-range clearance procedure might be used; and you would be advised of the frequency with which to contact the Center for the long-range clearance. When you’ve accepted a clearance, you are expected to follow it. Any clearance in which the time of execution by the pilot is optional will state, “At pilot’s discretion.” Amendments to the initial clearance may be given en route. You may have been cleared to the destination airport via a certain route before takeoff, but you may be given an amendment (or amendments) en route to avoid conflict with other traffic. It can include holding, change of altitude, and rerouting. Unless it will exercise an extreme hardship, don’t argue but accept the clearance and comply. Don’t tie up valuable time and frequencies by chatter unless you are going to be placed in a dangerous situation. The controllers don’t like to

10-6

upset the status quo any more than you do unless it is absolutely necessary. If you have a beef, write or call the Center after the flight. If you’ve been cleared to a fix short of the destination airport, it’s the responsibility of ATC to give additional clearance at least 5 minutes prior to the time the flight arrives at the clearance limit. The new clearance may authorize flight beyond the limit or contain holding instructions. However, if for some reason you don’t get the clearance by the time you’re 3 minutes from the fix, you’ll be expected to reduce speed so as to cross the limit initially at or below maximum holding speed (unless further clearance comes through while you’re slowing). If no clearance has come through, you will establish a standard holding pattern — meaning that you would make right-hand turns and 1-minute inbound legs — on the course on which you approach the fix, unless the pattern is charted otherwise. When you get clearance to another fix, you will acknowledge — giving time of departure — and will depart. The ARTCC Sector controller may be watching your antics on radar, will know you’re holding, and will try to get you on your way. So it won’t do any good to mention casually over the radio, “Well, here I am, still holding at Zilch intersection, well, well.” They’ll get you going as soon as possible. You always should write down your clearances; it will help in a read-back and can serve as a record if you should need it later.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Normally, when given an altitude, you’ll be told to maintain that altitude. This means you must maintain that altitude until cleared by ATC for another. On short flights in uncongested areas, you may be given, “Cruise at such and such an altitude.” Cruise means that you may ascend to or descend from cruising altitude and make an (approved) approach at the destination without further clearance from ATC. This does not clear you to descend below minimum en route altitude (minimum obstruction clearance altitude, MOCA), if applicable, or other minimum altitudes unless in VFR conditions. If you’ve been cleared to cruise at a certain altitude, start descent, and verbally report leaving it, you can’t change your mind and go back up to it without a new clearance. It’s your responsibility to notify ATC immediately if your radio equipment cannot receive the type of signals required to comply with the clearance. ATC will not issue a clearance specifying that a climb or descent on any portion of the flight be made under “VFR conditions” on any IFR flight, unless specifically requested by the pilot. You can sometimes save time at the departure if conditions are VFR by requesting this rather than waiting for the full treatment.

A Last Note Again, since there is a lot happening as you start the trip, it’s doubly important that you have a checklist for preflight, starting, and pretakeoff checks so that nothing is overlooked.

11

Takeoff and Departure The pretakeoff check is complete and you’re holding short of 36R at Q taxiway. Make sure all necessary radios (and required lights) are on when you’re ready for takeoff. Have your RNAV system or one VOR set for the departure (MEM VOR 117.5 with the ETREE radial of 098) and set any other radios and have the pertinent MEM approach charts at hand for an immediate return. Change to the tower frequency, 119.7. It was said earlier and will be said again: If conditions are such that a full-fledged instrument takeoff is required, how do you plan to get back in if something goes wrong? If the bad conditions are local and other airports are available — and flyable — it might be feasible, but if the lousy weather is extensive, you’d better look closely before busting off. You: “MEMPHIS TOWER, ZEPHYR 3456 JULIET, READY, HOLDING SHORT OF RUNWAY THREE-SIX RIGHT.” ATC: “ZEPHYR 56 JULIET, WIND ZERO-ONEZERO AT ONE-ONE, RUNWAY THREE-SIX RIGHT, CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF.” (The tower could give you a different heading or altitude as part of the takeoff clearance, which would have precedence over any previous instructions.) You: “ZEPHYR 56 JULIET, CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF THREE-SIX RIGHT.” After takeoff, the tower should tell you to contact departure control, you acknowledge and switch to the frequency given with the en route clearance.

Departure Control You: “MEMPHIS DEPARTURE, ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, EIGHT-HUNDRED FOR THREE THOUSAND.” ATC: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, RADAR CONTACT, MAINTAIN FIVE THOUSAND, TURN RIGHT TO A HEADING OF ONE-ZERO-ZERO.”

You: “MAINTAIN FIVE THOUSAND, RIGHT TO ONE-ZERO-ZERO, FIVE SIX JULIET.” ATC: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, FLY HEADING ONE-THREE-ZERO, INTERCEPT THE MEMPHIS ZERO-NINER-EIGHT RADIAL ON COURSE.” You: “HEADING ONE-THREE-ZERO, INTERCEPT THE MEMPHIS ZERO-NINER-EIGHT, ON COURSE, FIVE SIX JULIET.” The Memphis tower computer has passed your “off” time to the Center. After reaching a safe altitude, you’ll set climbing power, turn off the boost pumps, and do the other required cockpit chores as you finish the turn and continue to climb. Your tendency may be to get so engrossed in voice reports and the other jobs that the instrument scan is neglected, and you turn past the heading. (The bank sneaks over more steeply, and the climb may stop or turn into a descending turn for a few seconds.) While you’re getting things under control, it would be well to discuss the coordination between the tower (departure control) and Center. Unknown to you, the tower and Center have coordinated their actions and established a “letter of agreement” between the two facilities. Copies are on file at both places. This letter and diagram outlined the jurisdiction of the two facilities, but variations can be made from the so-called “rigid rules” at any time with coordination between the two. The tower has control of you at altitudes of up to 16,000 feet MSL and below and will notify the Center of your takeoff. It’s likely that you’ll be picked up on radar by Center shortly after crossing the airport boundary. Normally, you will be handed off to the Center before reaching about 25 NM out. Memphis Departure Control: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, CONTACT MEMPHIS CENTER ON ONE TWO FOUR POINT THREE FIVE.” You: “MEMPHIS CENTER ON ONE TWO FOUR POINT THREE FIVE, FIVE SIX JULIET.” 11-1

11-2

You on 124.35: “MEMPHIS CENTER, ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, LEVEL FIVE THOUSAND.” Memphis Center: “FIVE SIX JULIET, CLIMB AND MAINTAIN SEVEN THOUSAND.” Assume that once you are in radar contact you are remaining so, unless otherwise stated. More about this in Chapter 12. You: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, LEAVING FIVE THOUSAND FOR SEVEN THOUSAND.” You made a report upon leaving your last assigned altitude. This is required without a special request from ATC. You are not required automatically to report reaching the new assigned altitude but may be asked by ATC to “report reaching seven thousand.” Or, you may have to report passing an interim altitude on your way to the assigned altitude, such as “CLIMB AND MAINTAIN EIGHT THOUSAND, REPORT PASSING SEVEN THOUSAND.” There is traffic that might possibly cause problems at six thousand and ATC wants to be sure to know when you’re passing seven thousand.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

When you are assigned a new altitude, climb (or descend) as rapidly as practicable to within 1,000 feet of the assigned altitude and then climb (or descend) to the assigned altitude at a rate of no more than 500– 1,500 fpm. It would be best to limit your “as rapidly as practicable” to no more than 1,000 fpm to lessen chances of loss of control. In climbing, this probably will be no problem; in descending, however, you might overdo the rate (Chapter 4). And the most important thing of all to remember is this (it was said before): NEVER SACRIFICE CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE TO MAKE VOICE TRANSMISSIONS. The person on the ground can’t see that you might be having problems with turbulence, icing, and other such situations so may call at an “inopportune moment.” Let the call wait until you have things under control.

12

En Route After you reach the assigned altitude (7,000 feet MSL), leave the power at climb setting to expedite reaching cruise speed as you level off. Then adjust power, lean the mixture(s), and switch tanks as required. Make sure the airplane is well trimmed. Keep your scan going.

Position Reports The en route portion of IFR flying has changed dramatically over the years, particularly with the advent of GPS, RNAV, and now ADS-B. The idea of making position reports may seem dated, but remote areas, international flights, or equipment outages (ground or aircraft) might require them. Referring to the en route chart and the VOLLS 1 STAR for your route to Nashville, you’ll notice that there are no compulsory reporting points shown. As far as en route, constant altitude flight is concerned, you’ll make position reports as follows: 1. At a compulsory reporting point as shown on the en route chart with a black triangle ( ). 2. When requested by ATC. Center may just want a report over Brads or Rocket VOR. These are “on request” reporting points. Remember, if you are radar identified and will be remaining under radar surveillance, you will discontinue position reports even over compulsory reporting points. If you are in radar contact, the controller, at the time radar service is lost or terminated, will say, “RADAR CONTACT LOST” or “RADAR SERVICE TERMINATED.” This sometimes catches low-time instrument pilots napping. They’ve put the flight log away and only glance at the chart to get courses for following segments — now it’s back to work. (One of the controller’s biggest gripes is that the pilot does not

get back to work with estimates.) That’s why preflight planning is important. As far as the exact time to give a position report (if required), you might note the following: Over a VOR — The time reported should be the time at which the TO-FROM indicator makes its first complete reversal. Over an ADF — The time reported should be the time when the needle makes a complete reversal. Over a Z-marker or fan marker — The time should be noted when the signal begins (aural or light) and when it ends. The mean of the two times should be taken as the actual time over the fix. Over a waypoint — When the distance TO the waypoint becomes “0.0”. If you are giving a position with respect to a bearing and distance from a reporting point, be as accurate as possible.

Position Reporting Items Position reports should include the following items: 1. Identification. 2. Position. 3. Time. 4. Altitude or flight level (include actual altitude or flight level when operating on a clearance specifying VFR ON TOP). 5. Type of flight plan (not required if IFR position reports are made directly to ARTCCs or approach control). 6. ETA and name of next reporting point. 7. Name only of the next succeeding reporting point along the route of flight. 8. Pertinent remarks. The best way to remember the required items above is to use PTA-TEN (Parent-Teacher Association–TEN).

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Additional Reports The following reports should be made to ATC or FSS facilities without a specific ATC request: 1. At all times: a. When vacating any previously assigned altitude or flight level for a newly assigned altitude or flight level. b. When an altitude change will be made when operating on a clearance specifying VFR ON TOP. c. When unable to climb/descend at a rate of at least 500 fpm. d. When an approach has been missed. (Request clearance for specific action; that is, to an alternate airport, another approach, etc.). e. When a change in the average true airspeed (at cruising altitude) is 5% or 10 knots (whichever is greater) from that filed in the flight plan. f. The time and altitude or flight level upon reaching a holding fix or point to which cleared. g. When leaving any assigned holding fix or point. h. Loss or degradation of any navigation or communication capability or GPS anomalies that aren’t in the NOTAMs (paraphrased). i. Any information relating to safety of flight. (This would include aircraft mechanical problems as well as turbulence or icing that would cause problems of performance and control.) 2. When not in radar contact: a. When leaving a final approach fix inbound on final approach (nonprecision approach) or when leaving the outer marker or the fix used in lieu of the outer marker inbound on final approach (precision approach). b. A corrected estimate at any time it becomes apparent that an estimate as previously submitted is in error in excess of 3 minutes. If you encounter weather conditions that have not been forecast or hazardous conditions that have been forecast, you are to report this to ATC. (Consider making an electronic PIREP, if you have the capability.)

En Route You lifted off at 1406Z, climbed to your 7,000 feet cruising altitude, and are on your way. As you can see from the flight log (Figure 12-1), you crossed BRADS

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

intersection at 1446Z, 2 minutes early (add up the segment times up to that point, 1 + 18 + 18 + 5 = 42 + 1406 = 1448Z). Since you are in radar contact and the ADS-B system will “paint” you as low as 1,500 feet AGL on most of this route, you won’t have to make any position reports unless requested. In more remote locations you may have to, so it’s a good idea to keep up with how your estimated time at each fix compares with the actual, since the winds aloft forecasts are just that—forecasts. If you’re flying an airplane with only VORs, it’s recommended that the #1 VOR head be used for the airway, changing from the outbound station/radial to the inbound station/radial at the midpoint unless there is a charted changeover point. Intersections on the airway might be identified via DME or cross radial from an off-airway VOR (or even an off-airway ADF). As you can see from the en route chart, BRADS intersection on V54 west of Muscle Shoals VOR can be identified either by MSL 18 DME or the cross radial 012 from Hamilton VOR (HAB 110.4). The crossing radial would be set up on the #2 VOR head as shown in Figure 5-8 with the HECTO intersection, but with FROM since the station is behind the wingtip at the intersection. Now you can see where the radial that defines the intersection is. When the CDI centers, you are crossing the proper radial and thus the intersection. As you pass over MSL VOR at 1452Z, still 2 minutes ahead of flight plan, you get a call from Memphis Center: Center: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, MEMPHIS, I HAVE A CLEARANCE FOR YOU, ADVISE READY TO COPY.” You: “MEMPHIS, FIVE SIX JULIET, READY TO COPY.” Center: “ZEPHYR THREE FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET, NOW CLEARED TO THE VANDD INTERSECTION VIA THE VOLLS ONE, ROCKET TRANSITION, EXPECT FURTHER CLEARANCE AT ONE-FIVE-THREE-FIVE ZULU.” You: “CLEARED TO THE VANDD INTERSECTION VIA THE VOLLS ONE, ROCKET TRANSITION, EXPECT FURTHER CLEARANCE AT ONEFIVE-THREE-FIVE ZULU, ZEPHYR THREE FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET.” This new clearance is along your filed route but has a clearance limit well short of your destination (51 NM) with an EFC (expect further clearance) time of 9 minutes after your ETA at VANDD.

Chapter 12 / En Route

Figure 12-1. Flight log.

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Total Loss of Communications (14 CFR §91.185) You got a new clearance limit of VANDD with an EFC of 1535Z as you passed over Muscle Shoals at 1446Z. If you had a total communications loss before this clearance was confirmed by you, even after ATC had broadcast it (your radios went out the instant ATC finished delivering the clearance — you didn’t get to acknowledge), the pretakeoff clearance still holds. You’d fly on to VANDD and turn inbound on the VOLLS 1 arrival to the Nashville VOR. You would depart the Nashville VOR and fly to the facility to be used for the approach (unless you plan to make a VOR approach). You would hold on the procedure-turn side of the approach course until the ETA for the route and altitude of the last clearance, which was the one received and acknowledged at the warm-up spot before takeoff. As far as altitude requirements are concerned, you would fly the route segments at the last assigned altitude, the minimum en route altitude (MEA), or the altitude or flight level ATC has advised may be expected in a further clearance, whichever is higher. In this case, your last assigned altitude was 7,000 feet. The highest MEA along this route is 7,000 feet from RQZ to VANDD (on V54 the highest is 3,000 feet), so you would maintain 7,000. Figure 12-2 shows a hypothetical situation (on a different airway) that could arise. ATC will be expecting you to climb and descend as necessary to comply with the “last assigned or MEA (including MCAs), whichever is higher.” If you decide “what the heck” and stay at 8,000 for a couple more segments to save “all that stair-stepping down,” you could find that you’d be in the airspace of other airplanes. In the situation of the flight to Nashville, you would maintain 7,000 feet until over the facility to be used for

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

the approach. If you arrive before the time, based on an estimate along the route assigned, you would set up a holding pattern at 7,000 feet on the procedure-turn side of the final approach course. When the estimated time has elapsed, you’d shuttle down in the holding pattern on the procedure-turn side of the leg to the initial approach altitude and commence your approach. If you arrive later than the ETA as worked out earlier for the latest clearance, you would shuttle down immediately and start your approach. All approaches for the destination airport will be held clear for 30 minutes past your ETA without question and may be held longer if the pilots of other aircraft awaiting approach (who’ve been cleared well out of the way) agree to it. ATC will be checking your progress by radar. You checked wind direction and velocity at the destination before leaving, but unless an extra strong wind made it out of reason, you’d likely opt for an ILS front course approach. Listen to every possible available source of communication (VORs, LF/MF, etc.); ATC may give you further word or clear you for an earlier approach. If you lost communications after receiving and acknowledging the amended clearance to VANDD intersection, you would proceed as cleared and set up the holding pattern (315° inbound course, right hand turns, as shown on the STAR), if necessary, to depart the clearance limit (VANDD) at the expect further clearance time of 1535Z. In this case you would leave the hold at VANDD at the EFC of 1535Z and proceed to a fix from which an approach begins, maintaining 7,000 until reaching the fix. Start the descent and approach as close to the ETA as possible, in this case right away since the EFC delayed the arrival in the terminal area. Since the wind was forecast to be 020° at 5 knots, a good option might be the ILS RWY 02L (Figure 13-2). Leave VANDD and proceed directly to FIDDS at 7,000 feet, entering the hold (right hand turns on the inbound course of 021°), descending to 4,000 feet in the hold and starting the approach.

Figure 12-2. Example of a loss of communications situation. If in VFR conditions, maintain VFR and land as soon as practicable.

Chapter 12 / En Route

If you are flying in the clouds when the communications loss occurs and you have a transponder, squawk 7600. This will alert ATC to your situation — see Chapter 5. If you are in VFR conditions when the communications failure occurs or fly into VFR after the failure, squawk 7600, and remain in VFR conditions and land as soon as practicable. This doesn’t mean “land as soon as possible” (the pastures down there might be a little soft or short — and this might be the same situation at the closest airports). If the destination airport is within a few minutes, then go on to it (you’d have to get light signals to land). Get on the phone and let the nearest ATC facility know what happened. Using common sense and the knowledge that nearly all (if not all) airplanes flying IFR have two communications transceivers plus two navigation receivers, the chances of not being able to receive any instructions are slim indeed. The Center will pass the word to all FSS’s to call you on navaid frequencies. One possibility is that the Center can call you on the normal frequencies (you can receive but not transmit) and tell you to acknowledge instructions and clearances by having you “ident” or squawk other codes on the transponder. If you have lost all communications, the controllers will normally expect you to make a transition to the approach fix from the VOR (or applicable en route navaid). As said earlier, however, they will protect all approaches during the 30-minute grace period. Practically speaking, to lose both sets of communications and nothing else is indeed a remote possibility, but it could happen. Again, a handheld transceiver would be a good backup. Study the latest AIM (“Communication, Radio, Two-Way Failure”) before your first IFR flight for detailed and current information.

Holding Pattern On a different day, ATC assigns an en route hold at an intersection on the 089° radial of a VOR. In the absence of a published hold or specific instructions from ATC (left hand turns, for example), you’d set the pattern up as shown in Figure 12-3. The standard holding pattern consists of righthand turns with a 1-minute inbound leg (below 14,000 feet MSL). Each pattern will take exactly 4 minutes to complete in a no-wind condition. (Each of the two 180° — standard-rate — turns will require 1 minute and the two legs are 1 minute each.) ATC may issue specific holding instructions.

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Figure 12-3. Holding at an intersection.

Holding is a pretty simple matter in the situation of holding at an en route fix of an intersection. You’d start slowing up to the holding airspeed within 3 minutes of the estimated initial time over the holding fix. It then becomes a matter of getting definite indication of a station (fix) passage and commencing a 180° right (or left, if so instructed) standard-rate turn. As soon as you entered holding, which would be at the initial fix passage, you would normally report to ATC, giving the time and altitude/flight level upon reaching the holding fix. Unless ATC says otherwise, when you arrive at a clearance limit, hold in a standard right pattern on the course on which you approached the fix until further clearance is received. You’ll also be expected to hold at your last assigned altitude. You: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET. COMMENCED HOLDING AT FOUR NINE, FIVE THOUSAND. OVER.” Center: (Acknowledges.) “EXPECT FURTHER CLEARANCE AT ZERO ONE.” The “expected further clearance” time is given, so that you’ll have something to work with if communications are lost while you are in the holding pattern. When the expected further clearance time approaches and you have lost communications, be prepared to depart the fix at that time. The 4-minute no-wind pattern doesn’t always work out evenly with this expected further clearance time, so you will modify your holding

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pattern to be at the fix at that time. For instance, you arrive over the fix in one of your patterns 3 minutes before the expected further clearance time. You don’t have time to make a complete pattern and be back at the fix at the “go” time. Figure 12-4 shows the way to do it. Note that it will require 2 minutes to make the two 180° turns, leaving 1 minute to be divided between the two legs, as shown in Figure 12-4. The previous discussion was based on no-wind conditions, an unlikely situation. ATC requires that the inbound leg be 1 minute at altitudes below 14,000 MSL (1½ minutes above that altitude), and your initial outbound leg should be 1 minute to check what’s up. Suppose you enter holding, fly outbound for 1 minute, and find you reach the fix 45 seconds after rolling out inbound. (The inbound leg is measured from rollout from the outer 180° turn into the fix and should be timed accordingly.) Okay, you arrived 15 seconds early, so next time make that outbound leg 15 seconds longer, or for 1 minute and 15 seconds (you have a headwind outbound and a tailwind inbound). The purists will argue that this is not the case; you’ll have to fly outbound slightly longer than 15 seconds in order to add the 15 seconds to the inbound leg. This is true and can be worked out on a computer (since you have nothing else to do but fly the airplane on instruments, keep up with the clock, talk to ATC, etc.). You will get settled down at about the second pattern and can add what is necessary to get the required 1-minute inbound leg. The

Figure 12-4. The legs of the last pattern are shortened in order to hit the fix at the expected further clearance time.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

same theory applies to a reversed wind situation. (The wind may vary during your holding period, also.) Practically speaking, although it is very easy to work everything out nicely while sitting at a desk, it becomes a different matter in the airplane. As veteran instrument pilots often put it, “The holding pattern is a situation where you are holding somewhere in the general vicinity of a fix — you think.” The crosswind correction for the holding pattern as recommended by the FAA is to hold twice the wind correction angle outbound as was used to stay on the inbound course. This allows both turns to be standard rate but the inbound and outbound legs will not be parallel (which is okay). The crosswind and tailwind components could give you some trouble at the fix. Assuming a wind at your altitude of 190° true at 25 knots, you would be busy indeed. The crosswind angle would be about 11° with a crosswind component of about 5 knots, not too much of a problem. The tail- and headwind components will be over 24 knots (call them 25 knots) so that the inbound and outbound legs would have a 50-knot groundspeed differential. If you were holding at 100 knots, the groundspeed inbound to the fix would be 125 knots, outbound 75 knots; a quick and dirty estimate would be an outbound leg of (125 + 75) × 60 seconds, or 100 seconds to get an inbound leg of 60 seconds. As indicated earlier, the outbound leg would have to be slightly longer than 1 minute and 40 seconds to get the 1-minute inbound leg. In this case you’d have about 12 minutes, or three patterns, to work it out. The straight-in or direct entry is the most usual case, but you may have variations on the theme. Holdingpattern entries can be quite confusing, and it’s best when given holding instructions to actually sketch the pattern on the chart as shown by Figure 12-5. Figure 12-6 indicates one way to enter the pattern at Sewanee. When the fix is passed, turn to a heading 30° (or less) to the holding side of the pattern as shown (105° bearing). Set your OBS to the outbound bearing 105°. Setting the OBS for the outbound bearing this first time is a good idea for orientation. Fly the outbound leg for 1 minute. Start a standard-rate turn and reset the OBS for the inbound bearing of 315°. It is suggested that you leave the OBS on this setting for the rest of the holding pattern now that you are established. One other method of entry in this case would be to turn parallel (135°) to the outbound leg after passing the fix and hold this for 1 minute, then turn left all the way around (about 230°) to intercept the inbound course. Your instructor may have some suggestions on this.

Chapter 12 / En Route

12-7

Figure 12-5. Sketch the holding pattern; it makes the entry easier to accomplish.

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Figure 12-6. Entering the holding pattern of Figure 12-5 (teardrop).

The numbered items in Figure 12-6 give left-right needle indications and headings at the points mentioned. Your job will be to visualize the airplane’s relationship to the holding pattern. If you don’t “see” where you are, the problem of entry is very difficult. After the end of 1 minute, start a standard-rate turn to the right. When you get to point 2, which is 45° from

the inbound heading, the moment of truth will arrive. Do you speed up the turn? (The needle is centering now.) Or do you roll out at that heading and fly straight until the needle gets nearly centered? It’s a good move, if the needle isn’t moving toward the center position as you think it should, to stop at that heading and hold it until the needle is nudging toward the center at what

12-8

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

you have found (through practice) to be the proper rate. At this 45° entry angle on a localizer, if the needle is moving toward the center at all, you should keep turning because the localizer is four times as sensitive as the VOR as far as your receiver is concerned. The actions you have to take in turning on that first inbound leg can tell you a lot about corrections to be required on the legs. It’s really a matter of common sense on your holding pattern entries. There is a “buffer zone” around the racetrack pattern, but you would want to ensure that your entry did not cause you to fly outside the allowable area. The FAA recommends a standard entry for holding patterns as shown in Figure 12-7. Holding at a VOR intersection is the toughest problem. Always use the same VOR indicator for on-course indications (usually the No. 1 set) and the other for cross-bearing information. If you have only one VOR receiver, you’ll be pretty busy switching back and forth. Holding at an LF/MF intersection in precipitation static with only one receiver is an experience old-time instrument pilots turn pale remembering — so maybe one VOR receiver isn’t so bad after all.

A

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A. Parallel Procedure—Parallel holding course, turn left and return to holding fix or intercept holding course. B. Teardrop Procedure—Proceed on outbound track of 30° (or less) to holding course, turn right to intercept holding course. C. Direct Entry Procedure—Turn right and fly the pattern.

Figure 12-7. Standard entry for the holding pattern.

Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) Holding Pattern The DME has simplified intersection holding to the point where it’s as easy (or easier) than holding at a VOR. For instance, you are instructed to hold at an intersection that is 10 NM out from a VORTAC.

You’ve been told by ATC to use an outbound leg length of 5 miles. You are holding away from the VORTAC, so your pattern and instrument indications will be as shown in Figure 12-8. An ATC clearance requiring an aircraft to hold at a fix where the pattern is not charted will include the following information: 1. Direction of holding from the fix in terms of the eight cardinal compass points (that is, N, NE, E, SE, etc.). 2. Holding fix (the fix may be omitted if included at the beginning of the transmission as the clearance limit). 3. Radial, course, bearing, airway, or route on which the aircraft is to hold. 4. Leg length in miles if DME or RNAV is to be used (leg length will be specified in minutes on pilot request or if the controller considers it necessary). 5. Direction of turn if left turns are to be made, when the pilot requests it or the controller considers it necessary. 6. Time to expect further clearance and any pertinent additional delay information.

Depiction of Holding Patterns on Charts Holding patterns (standard or nonstandard) at fixes most consistently used to serve a terminal area/airport by either an Air Route Traffic Control Center or a terminal facility will be charted. The holding patterns will be charted on either or both U.S. government en route high-/low-altitude and appropriate area charts. A particular pattern may be shown on both the en route and area charts if the fix is consistently used for holding en route and terminal traffic. If aircraft are generally held at particular en route fixes by ARTCC, the patterns are charted. Only one holding pattern will be shown at a fix on an individual chart, and the patterns will not be labeled with altitude information or letter coding for any special purposes. Make sure you look at the correct chart (high versus low altitude) based on the altitude of the assigned hold. There have been different holding patterns at the same fix on different charts. If you’re required to hold at a fix where a pattern is charted, ATC will not issue holding instructions. You’ll be expected to hold in the pattern shown unless otherwise advised by ATC. If you’re required to hold at a fix where the pattern is not charted, you will be given holding instructions

Chapter 12 / En Route

6

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Figure 12-8. DME holding.

by ATC at least 5 minutes before you are estimated to reach the clearance limit. If you don’t receive a clearance beyond the fix before arrival over it and the holding pattern is charted, maintain the assigned altitude and use the depicted holding pattern. If this happens at a fix without a charted holding pattern, use a standard right-hand pattern on the course on which you approached the fix. If you are in doubt about holding, get instructions from ATC. Remember, below 14,000 feet MSL the inbound legs are 1 minute.

Points on Holding 1. When holding at a VOR, you should begin the turn to the outbound leg at the time of the first complete reversal of the TO-FROM indicator. 2. The direction to hold with relation to the holding fix will be specified as one of the eight general points of the compass. Your instructions to hold at XYZ intersection could be: “HOLD SOUTH OF XYZ INTERSECTION ON VICTOR SEVEN” (or nautical miles will be given if DME is to be used). In some situations the argument could arise whether the holding pattern is closer, for instance, to “South” or “Southeast” (here it’s obviously closer to South), so the airway is inserted. You’ll hold on the airway, but on the southern side of the fix rather than on the northern side. Holding on an en route VOR could possibly entail not holding on the inbound airway, as covered in Figure 12-5. For holding at an intersection en route, there’s little choice except whether you’re to hold on “this side” or “the other side,” and normally it will be on “this side.”

Holding Speed The maximum holding speed for aircraft is 200 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS) from the minimum holding altitude (MHA) to 6,000 feet MSL; for planes at 6,001 feet to 14,000 feet MSL, it’s 230 knots, and 265 knots above 14,000 feet MSL (all speeds IAS). (Check the AIM for the latest numbers.) Holding patterns from 6,001 feet to 14,000 feet may be restricted to a max airspeed of 210 knots, or 175 knots if an icon is depicted. Check the holding pattern on the chart for an icon for these nonstandard conditions. At what speed should you hold? In theory, you should think in terms of the speed at which the minimum fuel is required as shown in Figure 12-9. Point A shows the IAS at which the minimum brake horsepower is required. If the brake horsepower-specific fuel consumption is constant (which it isn’t, as shown by the insert), then point A would be the airspeed for holding (and this would vary slightly with weight). Brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) is the pounds of fuel per hour being used by each brake horsepower (BHP). You’ll find that for most general aviation carburetor-equipped engines, it works out to about 0.45 lb/BHP per hour, leaned in the area of cruising power. For fuel-injected engines, the BSFC is about 0.43. The Lycoming IO-540 engine is rated at 260 BHP. The information on this engine in Figure 3-13 indicated that, at 75% power, the fuel consumption is 14.1 gal/hr. Converting the pounds per horsepower per hour to gallons per hour: To convert to gallons per hour, divide the pounds (0.43) by 6 (the weight per gallon), getting a multiple of 0.072.

12-10

Figure 12-9. Minimum power required to fly the airplane at a certain weight and altitude.

To find the gallons per hour consumption, the actual horsepower being used at 75% (195 BHP) is multiplied by 0.072. 0.072 × 195 = 14.04, slightly less than the book figure (Figure 3-13) of 14.1, but at least close for an estimate. All right, this is very interesting, you say — but what do you use for a holding speed? Because you don’t have power curves or BSFC charts (and would be busy enough flying the airplane without setting up a research project), thumb rules may be substituted. Know the calibrated airspeed at stall for your airplane at the flaps-up power-off condition at the maximum certificated weight. The following thumb rules are based on that value. For single-engine airplanes with fixed gear, multiply that figure (using 60 knots as an example) by 1.2 (1.2 × 60 = 72 knots). For retractable-gear singles and twins, use a factor of 1.3 (1.3 × 60 = 78 knots). These factors apply whether the speeds are given in knots, miles per hour, kilometers per hour, or feet per second. The holding speed has been discussed in terms of theory. But what about a practical situation? Turbulence may make it advisable to use a higher airspeed than given by the thumb rule. A speed of 20% (or 30%) above the stall doesn’t give you much to play with in

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

turbulent air, and control could be questionable, particularly in a situation where the airplane was loaded in a rearward CG condition. Add a few knots for better control, but don’t exceed a speed of 1.6 times the stall speed — you might overstress the airplane if a strong vertical gust is encountered. (Remember, these rules are based on calibrated airspeeds.) The airplane type you’ll be flying will probably have a recommended holding speed of somewhere between 70 and 115 knots, so you’ll have no problem of exceeding the maximum allowable speed of 210 knots. To set up holding, you’ll slow the airplane to the recommended speed by throttling back and maintaining altitude. You have no idea how long holding will be required, even though you’ve been given an “expect further clearance” time. Normally, this will be the time you will be cleared, but ATC has extended it on occasion and you’ll want to economize. Pull the rpm back (if a controllable pitch prop is being used) to the lowest value you can get without the prop “hunting.” Use whatever manifold pressure is necessary to maintain altitude at the chosen airspeed. Check on further leaning, but don’t damage the engine. Obviously, the airplane should be as clean as possible — flaps up and gear up (if possible). You’ll maintain a constant altitude in the pattern unless instructed by ATC to change altitudes — this technique was covered in Chapter 4. Remember, too, thumb rules are just that, and are for ballpark figures only. There’s no substitute for information from the manufacturer or from pilots with experience in your airplane type and model.

Inbound to VANDD Back to the Memphis to Nashville flight between Rocket VOR and VANDD at 7,000 feet (never having lost communications): Memphis Center: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET CLEARED TO THE NASHVILLE AIRPORT VIA THE VOLLS ONE ARRIVAL ROCKET TRANSITION.” You: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET CLEARED TO THE NASHVILLE AIRPORT VIA THE VOLLS ONE ARRIVAL ROCKET TRANSITION.” Your clearance limit is your destination of BNA again and the holding instructions are obviously cancelled. Setting your #2 VHF radio to 135.1 MHz, you copy down the latest ATIS as you approach VANDD.

Chapter 12 / En Route



“NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ARRIVAL INFORMATION CHARLIE TIME ONE-FOUR-FIVE-THREE ZULU WIND ZERO ONE ZERO AT SIX VISIBILITY ONE-ZERO CEILING NINE HUNDRED OVERCAST TEMPERATURE ONE ONE DEWPOINT SEVEN ALTIMETER THREE ZERO TWO SEVEN ARRIVALS EXPECT ILS RUNWAY TWO LEFT



NOTICE TO AIRMAN USE CAUTION FOR BIRDS ON AND IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT



ADVISE ON INITIAL CONTACT YOU HAVE INFORMATION CHARLIE”

At this point you could pre-load the approach into the RNAV system per its particulars, put the ILS frequency, inbound course and minimums (109.9/021°/799’). For situational awareness, the BNA VOR 114.1 could be entered on VOR #2. Memphis Center: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET CONTACT NASHVILLE APPROACH ON ONE-ONEEIGHT POINT FOUR.” You: “APPROACH ON ONE-ONE-EIGHT POINT FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET.” You on 118.4: “NASHVILLE APPROACH ZEPHYR THREE FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET SEVEN THOUSAND INFORMATION CHARLIE.” Approach Control: “ZEPHYR THREE FOUR FIVE SIX JULIET DESCEND AND MAINTAIN FOUR THOUSAND DEPART VOLLS HEADING TWO NINER ZERO EXPECT VECTORS TO ILS ZERO TWO LEFT.” You: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET DESCEND TO FOUR THOUSAND DEPART VOLLS HEADING TWO NINER ZERO FOR ZERO TWO LEFT.”

12-11

Controller instructions are (ATC Manual 7110.65): Issue approach information by including the following, except omit information currently contained in the ATIS broadcast if the pilot states the appropriate ATIS code or says he or she has received it from the Center or another source: 1. Approach clearance or type of approach to be expected if two or more approaches are published and the clearance limit does not indicate which will be used. 2. Runway in use if different from that to which the instrument approach is made. 3. Surface wind. 4. Ceiling and visibility if the ceiling at the airport of intended landing is reported below 1,000 feet or below the highest circling minimum, whichever is greater, or the visibility is less than 3 miles. 5. Altimeter setting at the airport of intended landing. 6. Issue any known changes classified as special weather observations as soon as the volume of traffic, controller workload, and communications frequency congestion permit. Special weather observations need not be issued after they are included in the ATIS broadcast and the pilot states the appropriate ATIS code. 7. Advise pilots when the ILS on the runway in use is not operational if that ILS is on the same frequency as an operational ILS serving another runway. Check for possible updates or changes in details of these 7 items. Complete your landing checklist except for gear, flaps, and prop. Note if pitot heat or deicing (airframe and propeller) is necessary. You now should be very glad that you took the time to study the approach charts thoroughly before the flight.

12-12

13

Instrument Approach and Landing The approach (and landing), particularly when the weather is at minimums, requires complete attention to the work at hand and is the part of the flight where precision is most required. Unfortunately, after a tough en route session, it is also the point where the pilot is most likely to be suffering from fatigue and get-on-theground fever. Sneaking down below minimums to “see if you can break out” can result in your carrying added weight in the form of television towers, smokestacks, or power lines. Sure, it’s a pain in the neck to have to make a missed approach and fly to an alternate (you have no clean clothes, or maybe there’s a big neighborhood shindig tonight). This chapter covers some procedures for the most common approaches in instrument flight. The approach and missed approach is covered for ILS, VOR, and RNAV plus a general look at airport surveillance radar and other approaches at Nashville. Figure 13-1 is the Nashville International Airport layout as published in the FAA Aeronautical Information Services (FAA-AIS) approach chart procedures. It’s a good idea to review the layout to check on obstacles near the runway (if any) and to see the taxiways and runways so you won’t be totally confused, especially when you are making an approach and landing after dark. (There’s nothing like trying to navigate while taxiing through what appears to be a sea of blue taxi lights at that strange field.) Of course, the lights, signs, and ground control will be the best aids, but a scan of the layout can sure help. Okay, what kind of vectoring might you get upon arrival in the Nashville area? You aren’t expected to know the possible routes that approach control will vector you on, but the controlling factor for your vector path is the runway being used, not the particular type of approach. You’ll get the same vectoring for an approach to a particular runway for ILS, RNAV, or VOR and other approaches. Busy conditions may result in a vector pattern that may seem to be sending you on to the alternate.

Figure 13-1. The airport diagram for Nashville. All of the approach charts used in this chapter are FAA-AIS charts. These approaches, which are used as examples of the type, may be long out of date or nonexistent by the time you read this.

13-1

13-2

Runways 2L and 2R In most cases approach control will expect you to make an ILS approach for the runway in use, so if you have something else in mind you’d better mention it on an initial contact with them. Under quiet traffic conditions you will be vectored directly toward FIDDS intersection (see the en route chart or the Runway 2L approach charts). At busy times you may be vectored to the approach fixes on a different path.

ILS Approach Figure 13-2 is the approach chart for the ILS Runway 2L approach to Nashville. (To repeat: For Pete’s sake don’t use any of the en route charts or approach plates in this book for navigation.) You’ll be vectored so as to intercept the final course at no more than 30° (track) and far enough from the final approach fix (FAF) so that you won’t be rushed. Your airplane is in category A for the approach minimums as shown on the approach chart. Even under vectors, maintain your situational awareness at all times, so that you are ready to take over and complete the approach. If you suffer loss of communications, you know just where you are and can easily make the approach and land. Set the OBS to 021° on the #1 VOR/ILS receiver as a reminder of the base course on the ILS. (Remember, the OBS setting is not a factor when using the localizer frequencies — with the exception of the HSI.) For a missed approach, the OBS will have to be set to 270° and the receiver retuned to the BNA VOR 114.1 (or preset NAV #2 for this). Approach control can descend you to the intercept altitude and thereby dispense with the problem of flying to the FIDDS IF/IAF and descending in the holding pattern. Approach control: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, FIVE MILES SOUTHWEST OF FIDDS, TURN LEFT HEADING ZERO FIVE ZERO, MAINTAIN THREE THOUSAND UNTIL ESTABLISHED, CLEARED ILS TWO LEFT APPROACH, CONTACT TOWER ONE-ONE-EIGHT-POINT-SIX AT DOBBS.” You: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, LEFT HEADING ZERO-FIVE-ZERO, THREE THOUSAND UNTIL ESTABLISHED, CLEARED ILS TWO LEFT, TOWER AT DOBBS ONE-ONE-EIGHT-POINT-SIX.”

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

You would start your descent to 3,000 feet, intercept the localizer and, if at or inside DIKNS, descend on the glide slope. On some approaches, in some atmospheric pressures, you may have to fly through the glide slope until crossing the fix at the mandatory altitude before descending to acquire the glide slope from above (if the fix is not covered by the glide slope “feather” shown on the profile view). Notice in Figure 13-2 that the minimum safe altitude (MSA) for the 25 nautical mile radius around the BNA VOR is 3,100 feet. MSAs are primarily for emergency use and when you are being vectored, the controller is using a minimum vectoring altitude (MVA) display on the radar screen, as shown in Figure 13-3. Although you are under radar vectors, you must always be aware of your position. Keep track of where you are and what the MSAs are in your neck of the woods. Some airports have high terrain in one or more sectors and, since controllers are no more perfect than pilots, you must know your position at all times. Back to the ILS 02L at BNA, where due to vectors, you are at point 1 in Figure 13-4 with the instrument indications shown. Note: Figures 13-4 through 13-7 start ahead on Page 13-5. You’ll intercept the localizer on the 050° heading, maintaining 3,000' until the glideslope needle centers (and past DIKNS). It’s important to cross-check to be sure the glide slope is not a false signal; if the glide-slope needle centers and you are at 13.2 DME I-BNA (versus 8.8 at DIKNS), you do not want to descend. The 3,000' until DIKNS should avoid this peril. Figure 13-5 relates to point 2 in Figure 13-4 and shows you on the localizer just outside of DIKNS with the glide-slope needle alive. In Figure 13-6 (which relates to point 3 in Figure 13-4), you are on localizer, on glide slope over DOBBS FAF with the gear down. This is where you call the tower, but flying/configuring the airplane has priority. You: “TOWER, ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, DOBBS, ILS TWO LEFT.” Tower: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, WIND NOW THREE-FOUR-ZERO AT ONE-FIVE, FIVE KNOT LOSS REPORTED TWO-MILE FINAL, RUNWAY TWO LEFT, CLEARED TO LAND.” If there is a reason to deny landing clearance at this time (other traffic to depart or a vehicle making a runway inspection, for example), you might hear: Tower: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET, CONTINUE APPROACH.”

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

Figure 13-2. ILS approach chart for BNA.

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Part Four / The Instrument Flight

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Figure 13-3. A typical minimum vectoring altitude (MVA) chart.

You then fly the approach normally, remembering to query the tower before landing (if you haven’t heard from them). If you break out of the clouds and have the runway in sight, don’t be shy and automatically go around if you don’t have landing clearance (unless you see the conflict), just ask: You: “ZEPHYR FIVE SIX JULIET CLEARED TO LAND TWO LEFT?” The surface wind given by the tower (340/15) gives about 10-knot headwind and 10-knot crosswind components. Strictly following the power settings worked out in Chapter 4 for the 500-fpm descent rate and not correcting for the crosswind will put you in the situation shown in Figure 13-7; that is, low and to the right of the course. The ILS head shows that the airplane is to fly up and to the left. The heading indicator indicates that the heading is reasonable (disregarding such things as precession, which will not be a factor in this illustration). The altimeter shows 1,750 feet MSL at this point. A common problem of new instrument pilots is that of “flying” the localizer needle rather than picturing the position of the airplane relative to the system and using the heading indicator for corrections as should be done. “Making a turn” using the needle and guessing can result in overshooting back and forth across the center line and the likelihood of a dangerous condition or, at least, a missed approach. Okay, you’re off to the right and will turn left and hold the new heading until the needle is at the center position. Turn to the selected heading and fly it. Precise directional control is required. For most cases a 10° cut

should be considered about the maximum. The closer to the runway, the smaller the correction needed, since each dot of both localizer and glide slope deflection is a shorter physical distance (in feet) off course. In this case a heading of 010° would be used because it can be easily read, even if it is 1° more than the “maximum” cut. In extreme cases of crosswinds, you may have to make corrections greater than 10°. In close (approaching the middle marker), 5° corrections could be considered pretty much the outside limit once the drift correction heading is established. In other words, you know the proper heading for drift correction but have been careless and let the heading slip off. What about altitude corrections? You are low at the position shown in Figure 13-7. By ramming open the throttle, you could gain altitude in short order (and probably fly up through the glide slope). Back in Chapter 4 in the section on descents, it was mentioned that throttle jockeying can ruin an approach. If you are below the glide slope, you don’t want to gain altitude. Level flight probably would be the most radical correction. Normally, you would just decrease the rate of descent — the amount of correction depending on the error, of course. If you get so low that the glide-slope needle is pegged at the top, go around. You might have the right combination of power and airspeed for a nonturbulent condition, but an up- or downdraft could result in a glide slope needle deviation. On a hot bumpy day, correcting with throttle would be a chore. For very minor corrections use the elevators to ease back onto the glide slope; then a power change is unnecessary. Depending on the airplane and airspeed, you might set a limit of ±5 knots to be used for minor deviations from the glide slope. In other words, if you have to vary the airspeed more than, for instance, 5 knots to hold the glide slope, then you’d better do something with the power. Try not to make radical power changes; 1 inch of manifold pressure for the constant speed prop or 100-rpm change for a fixed-pitch prop should be sufficient for minor variations, and you may take off part of this after the glide slope is “wired” again. Concerning the idea of using elevators to correct back to the glide slope: This will work if the airplane is operating on the “front side” of the power curve. In discussing the power in Chapter 4, it was noted that the rate of descent was proportional to the deficit power existing at a particular airspeed. In Chapter 12 it was noted that the point of minimum power required was found at 1.2 times the flaps-up, power-off stall speed for fixed-gear (but otherwise clean) airplanes and 1.3 for retractables, both singles and twins (calibrated airspeed).

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

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Figure 13-4. Approaching the localizer. The panel drawing shows the instrument indications when the airplane is at point 1 on the approach (see Figures 13-5 through 13-7 for the indications for points 2 and 3 in this diagram). VOR 2 is set on the BNA VOR for use if a missed approach is necessary.

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Part Four / The Instrument Flight

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Figure 13-5. The instrument indications at point 2 in the approach. (On the localizer and approaching DIKNS.) On actual instruments the airplane will intercept the glide slope near DIKNS and start its descent. If the glide slope (ground or air equipment) is inoperative, you would maintain an altitude of 2,500 feet to the outer marker.

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Figure 13-6. At the final approach fix (on glide slope at 2,500 feet) with the addition of indications as if a locator outer marker were installed on this approach (flashing outer marker light and the reversal of the ADF needle from Figure 13-5). DME would show 7.2 from I-BNA.

33 30

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Figure 13-7. The airplane is right of the centerline and low. Prompt corrections need to be made or a missed approach executed (remember to fly to the missed approach point before turning toward BEVEE on the miss).

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

Figure 13-8 shows the instruments just as the airplane crosses the middle marker. You’ll reach the minimum (799 MSL) right after passing the middle marker (no longer installed on ILS 02L at BNA). Don’t be surprised if, on the final approach, varying winds are encountered. The surface wind may be reported as right down the runway, but you have quite a correction plugged in to hold the localizer needle centered during most of the approach. There may be a drop in wind velocity during the approach as you lose altitude, and you must adjust for it. One problem (and it can be a hairy one for singlepilot planes) is that of flying half instruments, half VFR on the latter stages of the approach. Often there will be a low broken layer in the last part of the approach. Occasional glimpses of the ground are enticing enough to draw your eyes away from the instruments — just as you fly into the clouds again. It will take a second or two to get reoriented with the instruments, and at low altitudes this can be fatal. Of course, you have to look out eventually,

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otherwise you’d make a missed approach when it was not necessary. On an actual instrument approach you’ll be able to see out the windshield from the corners of your eyes, and any spectacular change of visibility will be readily apparent. With hood work or dual-pilot actual instruments your safety pilot (or copilot) will be watching for the ground. It’s best to complete the approach down to DH or MDA on the gauges if there is any doubt. You might try some practice approaches at 1.3 times the landing flaps (bottom of the white arc) stall speed with the landing flaps extended and see how it grabs you. Remember that you won’t want to make the approaches at too slow an airspeed because of the delaying of traffic. There’s also the problem of control in turbulence at too low a speed. Once you’ve broken out, double check the gear and other check list items and complete your landing. From here on it’s just like a VFR approach and landing. You’ll be told to contact ground control after turning off and will taxi into the point of destination.

Figure 13-8. Crossing the middle marker and compass locator at Nashville. The airplane broke out at 900 feet MSL. The airplane has just been turned to the runway heading for a wing-down approach. Flaps may be lowered now as required. The weather shown here is much worse than the actual reports for BNA at 1500Z and 1600Z (Figure 7-26), but it makes for a better effect.

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You don’t have to cancel your instrument flight plan if you complete an approach and land — it’s done automatically (but only at towered airports). However, if you start the approach and decide it can be done VFR, you could cancel it with approach control if this was your wish. Many times, even though you’ve broken out VFR, you’ll want to continue IFR for practice purposes. Don’t be too hasty in canceling your IFR flight plan. Sometimes things could deteriorate before you complete the approach. You can always ask for a visual approach if conditions allow it, rather than canceling IFR. ILS approaches may have DME distances given. The AIM notes that: 1. When installed with the ILS and specified in the approach procedure, DME may be used: a. In lieu of the outer marker (OM). b. As a back course (BC) final approach fix (FAF). c. To establish other fixes on the localizer course. 2. In some cases DME from a separate facility may be used within terminal instrument procedures (TERPs) limitations: a. To provide arc initial approach segments. b. As a FAF for BC approaches. c. As a substitute for the OM. A couple of added notes: 1. BC approaches are gradually being phased out as indicated in Chapter 8, so maybe you won’t get to make one. 2. As far as inoperative ILS components are concerned, if the localizer has failed, an ILS approach is not authorized. If the glide slope has failed, the ILS reverts to a nonprecision localizer approach. (Makes sense.) Missed Approach Always review the missed approach procedure as part of your approach (self) briefing. Check Figure 13-2 from the ILS 2L approach procedure. If you get to the decision altitude and did not have at least the approach lights (ALSF-2, approach lights with sequenced flasher) in sight, you would apply climb power, clean up the airplane, and climb to 1,200 feet on the localizer. Then, start a climbing left turn to heading up about 240° to intercept the BNA 270° radial out to BEVEE and hold at 4,000 feet. You are all primed for this procedure, but you will probably get missed approach instructions from the tower and changed back to approach control. This is one of the required reports as mentioned in Chapter 12. You’ll have to make up your mind what the next move is to be. If the field has obviously gone below minimums, there’s no use (and it is a waste of time and fuel) in trying another approach. It will depend

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

on the situation; perhaps scud or rain showers moved across the field and momentarily caused the problem. You might check on the weather before going to the alternate. Obviously, if the weather is below minimums for an ILS (with glide slope operative), you wouldn’t be able to complete a VOR or ADF approach with their higher minimums (but might get in with an RNAV approach to a non-ILS runway on the field, if you have a wellequipped airplane and the weather is better approaching from another direction…but more about RNAV later). If you’re moving on to the alternate, you’ll get a clearance and follow it. You’d notify the tower of your missed approach and would be switched to departure control at Nashville. Figure 13-9 is the approach chart for ILS Runway 2 Left Category II/III (“two/three”). Approval for these types of approaches would be found in the air carrier or charter company’s FAA operations specifications (ops specs) and require the appropriate aircraft equipment and crew training. Both approaches require the use of a radar altimeter for the Decision Height (DH). The DH for the Category II approach is 104 feet, as shown. The Category III approach DH might vary by ops specs but would probably be 50 feet. Cat III would require either an autoland-capable autopilot system or a hand-flown approach using a heads-up display (HUD). Any degradation of the approach, runway or centerline lights, or RVR transmissometers could cause this chart to be unusable. Note that there is touchdown zone centerline lighting for Runway 2 left and that this is mentioned in all the Nashville approach charts (TDZ/CL RWY 2L) on the airport diagram. Lighting information for all runways is included on each approach plate.

RNAV (GPS) Y RWY 2L Figure 13-10 is the RNAV (GPS) Yankee RWY 2L and shows the importance of reviewing the chart thoroughly before the approach starts. You need know just what to look for at minimums in bad visibility, or at night or both. This approach to 02L is taking you to a runway with ALSF-2 approach lights and centerline lights. The runway you’ll probably see first (and perhaps dead ahead in a strong right crosswind) is 02C, which has MALSR approach lights, as shown by symbols near the 02C threshold. Knowing if there are PAPIs (and which side of the runway), REILs, centerline lights and the type of approach lights can save a lot of confusion at MDA or DA on a dark and stormy night. If you are flying the LNAV approach, note that there is a step-down fix with asterisk inside the FAF. You must cross TEPEA (2.3 NM from the threshold)

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

13-9

Figure 13-9. ILS RWY 2L (CAT II & III) approach chart.

Figure 13-10. RNAV (GPS) Y RWY 2L.

at or above 1,380 feet before continuing down on to the MDA of 1,020 feet. So, if your habit is to descend rapidly and level off at the next restriction (“dive and drive”), you won’t be able to descend directly to the MDA after passing the FAF when flying the LNAV only approach. The calculated paths of the LPV and LNAV/ VNAV systems will not dip below 1,380 feet until at or beyond TEPEA.

words “cleared direct WAMAR, maintain at or above 5000 until established, cleared RNAV Zulu runway 2 left approach.” Approach generally leaves out the “GPS” and “RNP” since there will only be one “Zulu” approach to 02L. Flying direct to WAMAR, you’d be required to cross it at 5,000 feet (the 5000 with lines above and below) and at or below 210 KIAS (210 with a line above it), proceed direct to ZAVEG crossing it at or above 4,000 feet, and arc left crossing IYJOR at or above 3,100 feet. The path continues to arc left descending to cross CIVMU at or above 2,400 feet, crosses over the FAF ZODEB at or above 1,900 feet, and continues down to a decision altitude of 898 feet (if you have the approval and GPS satellite coverage) to use the RNP 0.15 minimums. (RNP 0.15 means the navigation system is confident that it is within a 0.15 NM by 0.15 NM square of where it should be.) The flight management computer (FMC) of your advanced airplane calculated a vertical path that starts at an appropriate altitude at the runway threshold (perhaps 50 feet AGL) and works backward to cross all of

RNAV (RNP) Z RWY 02L Figure 13-11 is the RNAV (RNP) Z RWY 02L approach into BNA. RNP approaches are “authorization required (AR)” approaches that you may see later in your flying career. These approaches are based on strict navigational performance and require special crew training and aircraft capabilities (flight management system). Most RNP approaches have radius-to-fix (RF) legs that may appear to be mere turns between two waypoints but actually are arcs across the ground based on a circular path around an off-approach fix. Twenty miles north of the airport, approach control could clear you direct to WAMAR (IF) with the

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Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Runway 31 Approaches ILS RWY 31 Figure 13-12 is the ILS or LOC 31 BNA. The MSA is based on the highest obstacles (rounded up to the nearest 100 feet) plus 1,000 feet, in non-mountainous terrain. The 2,049-ft towers appear to be the culprits here, giving the 3,100-ft MSA. Missed Approach Climb to 1,400' before turning left and joining the BNA R-270 out to BEVEE. R-270 and 22.4 DME would be the easiest way to identify BEVEE if you don’t have RNAV. You would note on your review of the RWY 31 approach chart: displaced threshold (3 ovals), highintensity runway lights (HIRL, pronounced “hurl”), no centerline lights, but runway end identifier lights (REIL).

RNAV (GPS) Y RWY 31

Figure 13-11. RNAV (RNP) Z RWY 2L.

the fixes at/above their minimum altitudes and crossing WAMAR at 5,000 feet. The performance part of the FMC would calculate how to do all of this after crossing WAMAR at or below 210 knots with reasonable deceleration to final approach speed by the FAF. Laterally, the FMC would have you fly over all of the fixes using any arcs shown. The RF legs are based on an unknown (to us) fix on the interior of the path. You can picture a fix somewhere between ZAVEG and ZODEB that would give an arc matching the path shown, but it might be a separate fix for each short segment, as indicated by the legs southeast of the airport between HEBVA and ZODEB. This type of approach gives better use of airspace and can be built to fly around obstacles instead of over them. RF legs can also be built into normal and engineout missed approach procedures.

Figure 13-13 is the RNAV (GPS) Yankee RWY 31 approach and uses the same approach fixes (ONUGE, HOLER) as the ILS 31 and has the same lowest minimums (¾ statute mile visibility) if you are flying a LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance)-capable airplane. LPV gives ILS Category I precision with no ground-based navigation aids. Both the LPV and the LNAV/VNAV minima are decision altitudes — the precision of the systems allows the aircraft to safely dip below the DA in executing a missed approach. The LNAV-only box has a Minimum Descent Altitude (with emphasis on the “minimum”) and this chart supplies a visual descent point (VDP), shown as 1.4 miles from the RW31 threshold. Since the LNAV-only approach gives no vertical guidance, the plane might arrive at the MDA well before reaching a normal glide path to the touchdown zone. If the pilot has the runway environment in sight, an early descent could take the plane close to obstacles. If you are flying the LNAV approach (no vertical guidance) to the MDA, waiting to reach the VDP before leaving the MDA sets you up on a good descent path to the touchdown point. Not getting the runway in sight until after the VDP would indicate that a higher than “normal rate of descent” is required and a go-around would be the wiser course of action. Because this approach doesn’t need any groundbased navaids, the missed approach procedure is easier: climb straight ahead to 3,100' direct JARAS and hold. Even the holding pattern leg-lengths are supplied (4 NM).

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

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Figure 13-12. ILS RWY 31 approach chart.

Figure 13-13. RNAV (GPS) Y RWY 31 approach to Nashville.

You’ve decided that, for some reason, you’ll have to make a missed approach (maybe weather, or maybe things have gotten a little out of hand with the approach itself). Fly the airplane first, last, and always. Do the necessary go-around procedures (full power, gear-up, etc., as the POH recommends — and which you’ve memorized). After the airplane is under control and climbing, tell the tower you are executing a missed approach. Before you get a mile off the upwind end of the runway, the tower will tell you to contact departure control (or approach control in some cases; it depends on which is busier), giving you the frequency to be used. After contacting departure control (who will have been told that you’re executing a missed approach), let them know of your plans. If you want another approach, you’ll be vectored back to set up again. If you want to proceed to the alternate, let departure control know your new destination; in this case it’s Clarksville and the route is direct at 4,000 feet (the highest grid MORA is 3,200 feet). Departure control

will contact Memphis Center for a clearance, but will be vectoring you and climbing you to 4,000 feet. In most cases you’ll get a clearance with little delay and will be vectored on your way and be switched over to the Center as you leave the departure control jurisdiction. If there is a delay in the clearance from Center, departure control might hold you at JARAS, the missed approach fix. You’ll be given an expected further clearance time, which may be updated as necessary because of added delay of the delivery of the clearance. Nashville departure control cannot clear you out of their area of control into the Center area without the clearance. (You know you’re in deep trouble if you ask departure control for an estimate of when you can expect further clearance and they ask if you have a calendar handy.) Your Center clearance, when it comes, could still give you an interim clearance limit well on the way to, but short of, the Clarksville airport, to be followed at the proper time by further clearance; but that’s not the situation to be covered here.

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Speaking generally, if you decide to make an early missed approach, start climbing towards the missed approach altitude while continuing to fly the instrument approach, as specified on the chart, until the missed approach point before turning; the obstacle clearance is predicated on this. If you turn early, it’s possible that you wouldn’t have proper obstruction clearance in some cases. Again, know the steps of the missed approach. This is no time to be fumbling around. One check pilot used to say “execute a missed approach” then would cover the missed approach procedure. Woe betide the trainee who hadn’t already memorized it. Too often a pilot is psychologically set to land and finish the flight (that attractive member of the opposite sex is down there waiting with the champagne), and the requirement for a missed approach catches him or her short. When IFR, clearance to make an approach automatically clears you to make a missed approach as you deem necessary. When going to an alternate, remember WARP (Weather, Altitude, Refile, and Procedures) and DRAFT (Destination, Route, Altitude, Fuel, and Time). But remember most of all (again) that you are to fly the airplane; voice procedures can wait. Incidentally, the chances are that you would not fly to JARAS and hold as shown on the RNAV 31 approach charts (or any other holding points for the missed approach) but instead would be vectored by departure control to a “quiet” area (to the east in this example) and then vectored to a holding or en route point within the departure control’s jurisdiction. However, if you lost communications before or as you started the missed approach procedure, you would be expected to proceed to JARAS as shown on the approach chart. Assuming, as an example, that communications were lost earlier and you missed the approach because of deteriorating weather, the decision must be made to try again or go the alternate. You would set the transponder to 7600. Again, the chance of losing both communications transceivers and keeping the navigation receivers and transponder is rare indeed. If you are in a radar environment, ATC will keep other traffic out of your way while you decide whether to make another approach or go on to the alternate. With the loss of all COMM/NAV your primary target (just a return, no ADS-B enhancement) will usually show up enough to allow ATC to keep up with your movements. Whether you will make another shot at the approach will, of course, depend on the equipment left available to you, the fuel remaining, and your estimate of the weather trend. If during your preflight preparation you had checked for areas of better weather relative

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

to the departure point, route, and destination and have now lost COMM/NAV capability, you might set up the proper VFR altitude for your magnetic course and fly in that direction. After getting clear of clouds or to where you can see the ground, you’d land at the nearest available airport (not that you’d necessarily know what airport is down there until you’ve landed) and call the nearest ATC facility. There are enough possibilities and variations on missed approaches with equipment problems that there’s no way they could be all covered. The main thing is to maintain aircraft control and be thorough in your planning. Okay, now back to “routine” approaches.

VOR/DME RWY 13 The only ground-based approach to Runway 13 at Nashville is shown in Figure 13-14, the VOR/DME RWY 13. This approach has a note on the profile view to remain within 10 NM of the final approach fix (FAF) —“CLAIR.” The procedure turn is to the right and you must remain at or above 3,100' until established on the course inbound. There is an unnamed step-down fix at 3.2 DME with a minimum altitude of 1,500 feet. The MDA of 1,080 MSL is about 500 feet above the TDZE, so you can calculate a rough VDP by adding 1.6 miles (300 feet per NM is about a 3° slope) to the DME distance of the threshold (0.9 DME at the missed approach point minus 0.5 miles to the threshold equals 0.4 miles from the VOR to the threshold). Using the DME of 2.0 as a VDP should have you on a reasonable glide path. Remember, that (a) you’ve got to have the runway environment is sight (there are no approach lights other than REILS on this runway), and (b) you can’t waste time leaving the MDA for the runway if everything looks good and you’ve reached your VDP. The chart review before this approach would show HIRLs, REILs, a VASI on the left (supersedes the VDP), no centerline lights, no approach lighting system and a displaced threshold. The missed approach is to the east to LENON, which could be set up on VOR head 2, if you have one.

Radar-Controlled Approach Airport surveillance radar (ASR) scans through 360° and has a relatively short range designed to provide coverage in the vicinity of an airport for handling terminal air traffic.

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

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Figure 13-15. Airport surveillance radar minimums for Knoxville.

Surveillance Approach

Figure 13-14. VOR/DME approach chart for Runway 13.

Figure 13-15 shows the ASR approach minimums for TYS. Knoxville doesn’t have a PAR (precision approach radar, to be discussed shortly), which would have lower minimums than shown in Figure 13-15 and would include height above touchdown and decision height values. The surveillance approaches to Knoxville’s 23L/R have the higher minimums, perhaps due to terrain. The circling approaches have higher minimums that increase as speed increases (approach categories). You may receive a radar approach upon request, but this does not waive any of the prescribed weather for the airport. It’s up to you to determine if you can legally make an approach and landing under the existing weather minimums. You won’t be given ATIS information if you state the proper ATIS code. In any radar approach, you’ll be told the type of approach and to what runway. If the approach is to be made to a secondary airport, the name will be given so that the problem in Figure 13-16 won’t happen.

The controller will give you recommended altitudes on final if you request them. These altitudes will be given each mile on final, since there is no altitude or glide slope readout for ASR equipment. You’ll correct as necessary to get back on the “glide slope.” The approximate rate of descent for a 3° approach slope can be calculated by taking the expected groundspeed, dividing it by half, and adding a zero. For instance, for a groundspeed of 90 knots, the answer is 90 ÷ 2 = 45; 45 + 0 = 450 fpm. As the wind changes, you may have to adjust power to get the right rate of descent. The same thing would apply as on the front course ILS; the manifold pressure will have to be reduced so that, as it increases during the descent, the rate of descent won’t be slowed or stopped. You’ll be given heading information as necessary to correct the final course. (“HEADING 020°, ON COURSE,” or “SLIGHTLY/WELL LEFT/RIGHT OF COURSE,” etc.) You’ll soon establish a proper correction angle under “normal” conditions. On a nonhooded practice approach, you’ll be using body English to help the controller get you lined up. The controller will discontinue the ASR approach for the following three reasons: 1. If you, the pilot, request it. 2. If in the controller’s opinion continuation of a safe approach to the missed approach point (MAP) is questionable. 3. The aircraft is over the MAP. Let the controller know when the approach or runway lights are in sight. (At the MAP the controller will advise you that if the lights are not in sight you are to execute a missed approach.)

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Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Figure 13-16. A precise instrument approach is a fitting end to a well-planned and well-executed instrument flight.

ASR — Some Added Notes Acknowledge altitude and heading instructions until on final. You may want to hold the gear extension (if applicable) until ready to start descending. The controller will issue advance notice of where the descent will begin and issue a straight-in MDA before descent clearance. (“PREPARE TO DESCEND IN ONE MILE, MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE RUNWAY FIVE LEFT IS ONE-THOUSAND-FOUR-HUNDREDTWENTY FEET.”) If the ASR approach will terminate in a circle-toland maneuver, you’ll be expected to know your airplane’s category (A, B, C, D) and to have checked out the circling minimums as applicable to your approach situation. It’s up to you in any circling maneuver to keep the airport in sight.

Precision Approach The PAR has lower minimums than the ASR because elevation information is available to the controller. The initial part of the approach pattern for the PAR will be close to that of the ASR approach. As you approach the glide path, the controller will give you between 10 and 30 seconds notice. This may be the point where you want to extend the landing gear (if it was not extended earlier). When you get to the glide path, the controller will say: “BEGIN DESCENT” (which makes good sense).

Once you start the descent, the controller will issue course and glide slope guidance and tell you of any deviations from either. If no transmissions are heard for a 5-second interval, be prepared for a missed approach because of lost communications. Usually, the final controller will be talking at such a rate that you couldn’t get a word in edgewise if you wanted to. You’ll be given weather information and other information vital to operations (“YOU ARE OVER THE APPROACH LIGHTS” or “YOU ARE OVER THE LANDING THRESHOLD,” etc.). You will also be given the distance from touchdown at least each mile on final approach and notified when the aircraft is at decision height. You’ll also be told who to contact after landing, but controllers are specifically warned not to do so during transition and touchdown. The PAR may be used for approach monitoring on the localizer frequency if its final approach course coincides with the NAVAID final approach fix to the runway and other requirements are met. (See ATC Procedures Manual 7110.65 for further details on any of the controller’s requirements for approaches as given in this chapter.) There are comparatively few PAR approaches and PAR-monitored approaches left at civilian airports, but the subject was mentioned in case you get a chance to use the facilities.

Chapter 13 / Instrument Approach and Landing

No-Gyro Approach As an emergency standby, you may practice what is termed as “no-gyro approach.” This is not a completely accurate title because it is assumed that the attitude indicator and heading indicator are inoperative, with the turn and slip or turn coordinator remaining. (The needle or small airplane is gyro operated, so it’s not really a “no-gyro approach.”) Because it is assumed that you have no accurate means of turning to headings (the magnetic compass will not be precise enough), the controller will say, “TURN LEFT ...STOP TURN.” You will be expected to use standard-rate turns by reference to the turn and slip for the pattern except after turning final where half standard-rate turns will be expected. It will keep you busy, and it would be good training to practice one or more of these approaches if possible.

Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) To assist air traffic controllers in detecting aircraft that are within or are approaching unsafe proximity to terrain/obstacles, the FAA has furnished automated radar terminal system with a computer function called minimum safe altitude warning. The function generates an alert when a participating aircraft is or is predicted to be below a predetermined minimum safe altitude. Aircraft on an IFR flight plan that are equipped with ADS-B or Mode-C automatically participate in the MSAW program. That is, no specific request is necessary. Pilots on VFR (or no flight plans) may, provided they are equipped with an operating altitude encoding transponder, participate by asking the air traffic controller. The controller will evaluate any observed alerts and, when appropriate, issue a radar safety advisory. FARs place responsibility for safe altitude management on the pilot. MSAW provides the controller with information that, when judged to be significant, can be relayed to assist the pilot with that responsibility. Participation in the MSAW program does not relieve you, as the pilot, of responsibility for safe altitude management. If an aircraft is or is predicted to be below a minimum safe altitude, the computer alerts the controller. The controller will evaluate the situation and, if appropriate, issue a radar safety advisory: i.e., “LOW ALTITUDE ALERT. CHECK YOUR ALTITUDE IMMEDIATELY.”

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It is the pilot’s responsibility to evaluate the situation and determine what action may be necessary when an advisory is received. The pilot is expected to inform ATC immediately if any action should be taken after receiving a radar safety advisory.

General Notes on Approaches You should have done as many types of approaches as possible during the training process. The radar controllers are always glad to allow you to practice ASR and PAR approaches if traffic permits, since they want the practice also. Sometimes you’ll be asked to comment on the approach, and you should give your honest opinion; it helps them and will help you also in analyzing possible future problems of your own. Here are a few points you should keep in mind concerning approaches: 1. The missed approach procedure might be required anywhere during the approach; even while making the procedure turn, it might be necessary to call it off. Don’t be ashamed to start all over again if things start going to pot. Too many pilots try to salvage an approach that should be stopped in favor of a new try; but no, they fight it all the way down and make a deep impression — on some fixed object. It’s a good idea in that case to let the tower (or approach control, as applicable) know that the reason you want to make the approach again is because you “didn’t like the way that one was going,” or some other such subtle clue, so that the pilots following won’t think the weather was the cause. 2. Forget the part of the trip that’s behind you and concentrate on the approach. For some reason this is the time when passengers suddenly remember a lot of questions. Don’t allow any outside distractions to interfere. 3. There have been a number of instances of aircraft striking the ground on approach when visual cues were lost during low-visibility landing. Pilots have been known to continue the descent below decision height or minimum descent altitude after flying into a thin layer of fog (or snow or rain). So...if you lose the runway at that point, you’d better add full power and execute a missed approach, or you could break your airplane. 4. The approach is not complete until the airplane is locked in the hangar or tied down. Don’t feel that you have it made as soon as you break out and have the field in sight. There’s still some work for you to do.

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14

Instrument Rating Knowledge Test The knowledge test for the instrument rating is considered to be one of the toughest you’ll take during your flying career (if not the toughest). The information you need to know requires a lot of memory work concerning FARs, chart symbols, approach minimum requirements, and much more. If you take the knowledge test before starting work on the flying part of the rating or very early during your instruction, some of the questions won’t make sense because you haven’t used the ATC system to that extent. So it’s suggested that the knowledge test be taken somewhere near the point of your long IFR cross-country.

Instrument Rating Knowledge Test Guide Introduction The FAA has hundreds of computer testing centers available nationwide. These testing centers offer the full range of airman knowledge tests including military competence, instrument rating, and foreign pilot. The FAA has developed a bank of questions covering the specific subject matter areas pertaining to Instrument rating:

Instrument Rating — Airplane Instrument Rating — Helicopter Instrument Rating — Foreign Pilot

Knowledge tests for these ratings consist of a selection of questions in the areas that pertain to the 14 CFR requirements, attitude instrument flying, flight planning, meteorology, the pilot’s responsibility when operating under instrument flight rules (IFR), and IFR operations pertinent to preflight, departure, en route, and arrival. The instrument rating — foreign pilot test includes questions that pertain to instrument flight rules and related procedures. These tests can be administered by any authorized computer testing center.

Eligibility Requirements (paraphrased — see 14 CFR §61.65) The general prerequisites for an instrument rating require that the applicant have a combination of experience, knowledge, and skill. For specific information pertaining to certification, an applicant should carefully review the appropriate sections of 14 CFR Part 61 for instrument rating requirements. Additionally, to be eligible for an instrument rating, applicants must: 1. Hold at least a current private pilot certificate with an aircraft rating appropriate to the instrument rating sought (unless applying for the private certificate and instrument rating concurrently). 2. Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. If an applicant is unable to meet these requirements due to a medical condition, operating limitations may be placed on his or her certificate. 3. Show satisfactory completion of ground instruction or a home study course (logged) required by 14 CFR Part 61 for the certificate or rating sought. 4. Present as personal identification an airman certificate, driver’s license, or birth certificate showing that they meet the age requirements prescribed for the certificate sought no later than 2 years from the date of application for the test.

Knowledge Areas on the Tests An applicant for the knowledge test for an instrument rating must have received ground instruction or have logged home study in at least the following areas: 1. The FARs that apply to flight under IFR conditions, the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), and the IFR air traffic system and procedures. 2. IFR navigation using various navigation systems and the use of enroute and approach procedure charts. 14-1

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3. The procurement and use of aviation weather reports and forecasts, and the elements of forecasting weather trends on the basis of that information and personal observation of weather conditions. 4. The safe and efficient operation of aircraft, as appropriate, under instrument weather conditions.

Description of the Tests All test questions are the objective, multiple-choice type, with three choices of answers. Each question can be answered by the selection of a single response. Each test question is independent of other questions, that is, a correct response to one does not depend upon or influence the correct response to another. A significant number of the questions are “category specific” and appear ONLY on the airplane test, the helicopter test, or the airship test. The 20-question “added rating” tests are composed mostly of these “categoryspecific” questions. A 20-question “added rating” test is administered to an applicant who already holds an instrument rating in one category (airplane or helicopter) and wishes to meet the knowledge requirements for the other category. The “category-specific” questions pertain to such knowledge areas as recency of experience and weather minimums. Tests developed from the instrument rating knowledge bank of questions:

Instrument Rating — Airplane Instrument Rating — Helicopter Instrument Rating — Airplane (Added Rating) Instrument Rating — Helicopter (Added Rating) Instrument Rating — Foreign Pilot Instrument Flight Instructor — Airplane Instrument Flight Instructor — Helicopter Instrument Flight Instructor — Airplane (Added Rating) Instrument Flight Instructor — Helicopter (Added Rating) Ground Instructor — Instrument

Ground instructor — applicants for the instrument rating should be prepared to answer any question that appears in the instrument question bank because they are expected to teach all instrument ratings. The instrument rating — airplane and helicopter tests have 60 questions each, and 2.5 hours is allowed for taking each test. The instrument flight instructor — tests for airplane and helicopter, ground instructor — instrument, and the instrument rating — foreign pilot have 50 questions each, and 2.5 hours is allowed for taking each test.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

All added rating tests have 20 questions each, and 1.0 hour is allowed for taking each test. A score of 70 percent must be attained to successfully pass each test. Communication between individuals through the use of words is a complicated process. In addition to being an exercise in the application and use of aeronautical knowledge, a test is also an exercise in communication since it involves the use of the written language. Since the tests involve written rather than spoken words, communication between the test writer and the person being tested may become a difficult matter if care is not exercised by both parties. Consequently, considerable effort is expended to write each question in a clear, precise manner. Make sure you carefully read the instructions given with each test, as well as the statements in each test item. When taking a test, keep the following points in mind: 1. Answer each question in accordance with the latest regulations and procedures. 2. Read each question carefully before looking at the possible answers. You should clearly understand the problem before attempting to solve it. 3. After formulating an answer, determine which choice most nearly corresponds with that answer. The answer chosen should completely resolve the problem. 4. From the answers given, it may appear that there is more than one possible answer. However, there is only one answer that is correct and complete. The other answers are either incomplete or are derived from popular misconceptions. 5. If a certain question is difficult for you, it is best to mark it for RECALL and proceed to the other questions. After you answer the less difficult questions, return to those that you marked for recall and answer them. The recall marking procedure will be explained to you prior to starting the test. Although the computer should alert you to unanswered questions, make sure every question has an answer recorded. This procedure will enable you to use the available time to the maximum advantage. 6. When solving a calculation problem, select the answer nearest to your solution. The problem has been checked with various types of calculators; therefore, if you have solved it correctly, your answer will be closer to the correct answer than any of the other choices.

Chapter 14 / Instrument Rating Knowledge Test

Taking a Knowledge Test by Computer You should determine what authorization requirements are necessary before contacting or going to the computer testing center. Testing center personnel cannot begin the test until you provide them with the proper authorization, if one is required. A limited number of tests require no authorization. However, you should always check with your instructor or local Flight Standards District Office if you are not sure what kind of authorization you need to bring to the testing facility. The next step is the actual registration process. Go to FAA.gov and select Training/Testing then Knowledge Testing to find the list of testing centers ordered by state and city. You can then contact the testing center of your choice and schedule your knowledge test. You may register for tests several weeks in advance of the proposed testing date. You may also cancel your appointment up to 2 business days before test time, without financial penalty. After that time, you may be subject to a cancellation fee as determined by the testing center. You are now ready to take the test. Remember, you always have an opportunity to take a sample test before the actual test begins. Your actual test is under a time limit, but if you know your material, there should be sufficient time to complete and review your test. Within moments of completing the test, you will receive an Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR), which contains your score and a list of codes indicating areas you missed, if any. At the time of this writing, a transition is being made from the more general Learning Statement Codes (LSC) to the rather specific ACS codes. The ACS code will refer to a precise area outlined in the Knowledge portion of a specific task in the ACS. For example, if the code for the missed question is IR.IV.A.K3, this indicates Instrument Rating (the specific ACS), Flight by Reference to Instruments (the Area, IV), Instrument Flight (the task, A) and Normal and abnormal instrument indications and operations (K3). In this case, the question missed might relate to how the airspeed indicator would react in a climb if both the ram air input and drain hole (if installed) became blocked. These missed Knowledge test subjects must be covered by the examiner on the practical test. The good news is that you’ll have a rather specific area to refresh yourself on and the mandatory covering of a missed item by the examiner can count as the single required knowledge area quizzed for that particular task on the check ride. More on the ACS in Chapter 15.

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Your instructor is required to review with you each of the knowledge areas listed on your airman test report and complete an endorsement that remedial study was conducted in these deficient areas. The airman test report, which must show the computer testing company’s embossed seal, is an important document. DO NOT LOSE THE AIRMAN TEST REPORT, because you will need to present it to the examiner prior to taking the practical test. Loss of this report means that you will have to request a duplicate copy from the FAA in Oklahoma City. This will be costly and time consuming.

Cheating or Other Unauthorized Conduct Computer testing centers follow rigid testing procedures established by the FAA. This includes test security. When entering the test area, you are permitted to take only scratch paper furnished by the test administrator and an authorized aviation computer, plotter, etc., approved for use in accordance with the FAA. The FAA has directed testing centers to stop a test any time a test administrator suspects a cheating incident has occurred. An FAA investigation will then follow. If the investigation determines that cheating or other unauthorized conduct has occurred, any airman certificate that you hold may be revoked, and you may not be allowed to take a test for 1 year.

Retesting Procedures If the score on the airman test report is 70 percent or above, it is valid for 24 calendar months. You may elect to retake the test, in anticipation of a better score, after 30 days from the date of the last test. Prior to retesting, you must give your current airman test report to the test proctor. (The original test report will be destroyed by the test proctor after administering the retest.) The latest test taken will reflect the official score. A person who fails a knowledge test may apply (no 30-day waiting period) for retesting providing that person presents the failed test report and an endorsement from an authorized instructor certifying that additional instruction has been given and that the instructor finds the person competent to pass the test. The appendix of the latest edition of the Instrument Rating—Airplane ACS has the latest on knowledge testing.

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15

Instrument Rating Practical Test This chapter will cover the basics of the practical (flight) test, paraphrased and in general, with discussions on the various maneuvers and other requirements, but you should have on hand a copy of the latest practical test book. Some suggestions for review will be inserted by this writer at various points: references in this book, and others, are added. Before taking the test, you and your instructor will review the areas of weakness as shown by the ACS codes on the AKTR (and have your logbook signed off to that effect).

The Airman Certification Standards The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) is the guide for the practical test. If you took your private pilot check ride some time ago, this new guide may seem intimidating. Fear not, it’s thorough and gives the applicant a good idea of what to expect. The FAA desires scenario-based evaluation (versus the old maneuvers-based), so the ACS is laid out in areas of operation in the order of flight, running from Preflight Planning to Postflight Procedures. The only area that wouldn’t be on a “routine flight” (as the reporters like to say after an accident) is the Emergency Operations area listed after the approaches. The areas of operation are broken down into various tasks, each with its own objective. The tasks all have elements under the three areas of knowledge, risk management, and skills. At first glance the ACS may seem intimidating, but bear in mind that the skills section is the only one where all items have to be covered in one way or another and, from task to task, some of the elements are exactly the same. For example, “Failure to manage navigation and auto flight systems” appears under risk management in 5 of the (current) 22 tasks.

Only one item from each of the knowledge and risk management lists must be checked by the examiner. Any element that was missed on the knowledge test is required to be tested on the practical test, but that could be the one to satisfy the knowledge or risk management requirement (if the DPE so chooses). The examiner is required to have a written plan of action (POA) to follow but can vary that somewhat if unexpected circumstances arise. “Where’d that TFR come from?” One experienced pilot examiner emails the trip scenario to the applicant about a week before the check ride with the details of the upcoming flight, including a stop at a nearby airport to pick up a friend. Information provided includes the weight of the examiner and what to bring for the practical test. Following are some items of interest about the practical test. Examiners will place special emphasis upon areas of aircraft operation that are most critical to flight safety. Among these are precise aircraft control and sound judgment in Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM). Although these areas may or may not be shown under each Task, they are essential to flight safety and will receive careful evaluation throughout the practical test. Some of these are: 1. Positive aircraft control; 2. Positive exchange of the flight controls procedures (who is flying the aircraft); 3. Stall/spin awareness; 4. Collision avoidance; 5. Wake turbulence avoidance; 6. LAHSO (Land and Hold Short Operation); 7. Runway incursion avoidance; 8. CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain); 9. ADM and risk management; 10. SRM (single-pilot resource management); 11. Checklist usage;

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12. Icing condition hazards, anti-icing and deicing equipment, differences, and approved use and operations; and 13. Other areas deemed appropriate to any phase of the practical test.

Test Prerequisites You, as an applicant, are required by the FARs to: 1. Hold at least a current private pilot certificate with an aircraft rating appropriate to the instrument rating sought (unless doing the combined private/ instrument practical test). 2. Pass the appropriate instrument rating knowledge test since the beginning of the 24th month before the month in which the practical test is taken. (This has always been a forehead-wrinkler for this writer.) 3. Have gotten the applicable instruction and aeronautical experience prescribed for the instrument rating sought. 4. Hold at least a third-class medical certificate issued since the beginning of the 24th month before the month in which the practical test is taken (60th month if you hadn’t reached your 40th birthday when you took the medical exam). 5. Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. 6. Obtain a written statement from an appropriately certificated flight instructor certifying that you have been given flight instruction in preparation for the practical test within 60 days preceding the date of application. The statement shall also indicate that the instructor finds the applicant competent to pass the practical test and has satisfactory knowledge of the subject area(s) in which a deficiency was indicated by the airman knowledge test report. The FAA is emphasizing attitude instrument flying and the ability to fly partial-panel. There have been a number of accidents when vacuum/pressure systems have failed and the pilot was unable to fly the partialpanel (or standby) instruments. You’ll be checked on your ability to fly the airplane in various regimes and to make partial-panel nonprecision approaches without the attitude indicator or heading indicator. You’ll be expected to demonstrate competency in either the PRIMARY and SUPPORTING or the CONTROL and PERFORMANCE concept of instrument flying. For a few years the FAA de-emphasized partialpanel skills on the practical tests. However, losses of vacuum/pressure systems that control the attitude

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

and heading indicator in light aircraft (and accidents) resulted in requiring partial-panel training and skills for the pilot applying for the instrument rating. Certain maneuvers on the practical test area are required to be done partial-panel (see the section “Flight by Reference to Instruments,” Page 15-7). This chapter is aimed at the airplane practical test, so Tasks that are for helicopters are omitted here.

Aircraft and Equipment Requirements You’d better provide an appropriate and airworthy aircraft for the practical test. Its operating limitations must not prohibit the Tasks required on the practical test. Flight instruments are those required for controlling the aircraft without outside references. The required radio equipment is that necessary for communications with ATC and for the performance of VOR, RNAV, LDA, SDF, and ILS (glide slope, localizer, and marker beacon) approaches.

Use of a Flight Simulator or Flight Training Device An airman applicant for instrument rating certification is authorized to use an FAA-qualified and -approved flight simulator or flight training device to complete certain flight Task requirements listed in the airman certification standards. (See ACS, Appendix 8.) When flight Tasks are accomplished in an aircraft, certain Task elements may be accomplished through “simulated” actions in the interest of safety and practicality, but when accomplished in a flight simulator or flight training device, these same actions would not be “simulated.” For example, when in an aircraft, a simulated engine fire may be addressed by retarding the throttle to idle, simulating the shutdown of the engine, simulating the discharge of the fire suppression agent, if applicable, and simulating the disconnect of associated electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatics systems, etc. However, when the same emergency condition is addressed in a flight simulator or flight training device, all Task elements must be accomplished as would be expected under actual circumstances. Similarly, safety of flight precautions taken in the aircraft for the accomplishment of a specific maneuver or procedure (such as limiting altitude in an approach to stall or setting maximum airspeed for an engine failure expected to result in a rejected takeoff) need not be

Chapter 15 / Instrument Rating Practical Test

taken when a flight simulator or flight training device is used. It is important to understand that whether accomplished in an aircraft, flight simulator, or flight training device, all Tasks and elements for each maneuver or procedure will have the same performance standards applied equally for determination of overall satisfactory performance.

Satisfactory Performance Satisfactory performance to meet the requirements for certification is based on your ability to safely: 1. Perform the approved Areas of Operation for the certificate or rating sought within the approved standards. 2. Demonstrate mastery of the aircraft with the successful outcome of each Task performed never seriously in doubt. 3. Demonstrate satisfactory proficiency and competency with the approved standards. 4. Demonstrate sound judgment and ADM.

Unsatisfactory Performance If, in the judgment of the examiner, you don’t meet the standards of performance of any Task performed, the associated Area of Operation is failed and, therefore, the practical test is failed. The examiner or you may discontinue the test at any time after the failure of an Area of Operation that makes you ineligible for the certificate or rating sought. The test will be continued only with your consent. Whether the test is continued or discontinued, you are entitled to credit for only those Areas of Operation satisfactorily performed. However, during the retest and at the discretion of the examiner, any Task may be reevaluated including those previously passed. Typical areas of unsatisfactory performance and grounds for disqualification are: 1. Any action or lack of action by you that requires corrective intervention by the examiner to maintain safe flight. 2. Failure to use proper and effective visual scanning techniques, when applicable, to clear the area before and while performing maneuvers. 3. Consistently exceeding tolerances stated in the Objectives (note: consistently). 4. Failure to take prompt corrective action when tolerances are exceeded. 5. Failure to exercise risk management.

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Letter of Discontinuance When a practical test is discontinued for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance (i.e., equipment failure, weather, illness), FAA Form 8710.1, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application, and, if applicable, the Airman Knowledge Test Report shall be returned to you. The examiner at that time should prepare, sign, and issue a Letter of Discontinuance to you. The Letter of Discontinuance shall identify the Areas of Operation of the practical test that were successfully completed. You shall be advised that the Letter of Discontinuance shall be presented to the examiner when the practical test is resumed, and be made part of the certification file.

Risk Management On each Task, the examiner will evaluate your ability to identify hazards and mitigate (reduce) the associated risk.

Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM) The examiner will evaluate the applicant’s ability throughout the practical test to use good aeronautical decision-making procedures in order to evaluate risks. The following six areas will be examined as part of SRM: 1. Aeronautical decision-making (ADM). 2. Risk management. 3. Task management. 4. Situational awareness (SA). 5. Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT—“see-fit”) awareness. 6. Automation management, including moving to the appropriate level of automation (if any is present), whether higher or lower. Author’s note: An important part of risk management is knowing when to ask for outside or onboard help and using all available (pertinent) resources. Single pilot: “ATC, I’ve got smoke in the cockpit, where’s the nearest airport?” Airline captain: “ATC, we’ve got a cargo fire indication, where’s the nearest airport? Flight attendant (or off-duty pilot), any sign of heat in the floor of the aft cabin?” Airline crews have sometimes been hesitant to declare an emergency and later realized the situation clearly called for “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” as the safest course of action.

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Crew Resource Management (CRM) Crew resource management is the application of team management concepts in the flight deck environment. In the event the practical test is conducted in an aircraft operation requiring a crew of two, the examiner will evaluate the applicant’s ability throughout the test to use good CRM.

Applicant’s Use of Checklists Throughout the flight, you will be evaluated on the use of an appropriate checklist. Proper use is dependent on the specific Task being evaluated. The situation may be such that the use of the checklist, while accomplishing elements of an Objective, would be either unsafe or unfeasible, especially in a single-pilot operation. In this case, the method might demand the need to review the checklist after the elements have been met. In any case, use of a checklist must consider proper scanning vigilance and division of attention at all times.

Distractions During Practical Tests Numerous studies indicate that many accidents have occurred when the pilot has been distracted during critical phases of flight. To evaluate your ability to utilize proper control technique while dividing attention both inside and outside the cockpit, the examiner will cause a realistic distraction during the flight portion of the practical test to evaluate your ability to divide attention while maintaining safe flight.

Positive Exchange of Flight Controls During flight, there must be a clear understanding between pilots as to who has control of the aircraft. Prior to flight, a briefing should be conducted that includes the procedure for the exchange of the flight controls. A positive three-step process in the exchange between pilots is a proven procedure and one that is strongly recommended: 1. When one pilot wishes to give the other pilot control of the aircraft, he or she will say, “You have the flight controls.” 2. The other pilot acknowledges immediately by saying, “I have the flight controls.” 3. The first pilot again says, “You have the flight controls.” When control is returned to the first pilot, the same procedure is followed. Visually verify that the exchange has occurred. The verbiage above is referenced in the ACS, but a minimum of, “Your aircraft”, “My aircraft”, “Your aircraft” (with a visual verification) should always be used.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Preflight Preparation Weather Information References: 14 CFR Part 61; Aviation Weather AC 00-6, Aviation Weather Services AC 00-45; Chapter 7 in this book; AIM. Objective: You’ll be checked on your ability to 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of aviation weather information by obtaining, reading, and analyzing the applicable items such as a. Weather reports and forecasts. b. PIREPs. c. Surface analysis charts. d. Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA). e. Significant weather prognostics. f. Winds and temperatures aloft. g. Freezing level charts. h. Severe weather outlook charts. i. SIGMETs and AIRMETs. j. ATIS reports. 2. Correctly analyze the assembled weather information pertaining to the proposed route of flight and destination airport. You’ll also have to determine whether an alternate airport is required, and if so, whether the selected alternate airport meets the regulatory requirements. As noted in Chapter 7 of this book, the various charts will give you an overall look at the weather, while the terminal forecasts and zoomed-in GFA will be more local in scope. Check the earlier forecasts against the earlier weather reports; were the forecasts optimistic or pessimistic? This provides you with hints as to how much to believe the most recent forecasts. It’s a good idea to check the weather to the west of your route and the destination. Since weather in the United States moves generally from west to east, weather west of your area of interest could be at the route or destination in a few hours.

Cross-Country Flight Planning References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; AIM; Chapters 3, 6, 8, and 9 in this book. Objective: You’ll be expected to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements by presenting and explaining a preplanned crosscountry flight, as previously assigned by the examiner (preplanning at examiner’s discretion). You’ll plan it using real time and weather, conforming to

Chapter 15 / Instrument Rating Practical Test

the regulatory requirements for instrument flight rules within the airspace in which the flight will be conducted. 2. Have and show adequate knowledge of the aircraft’s performance capabilities by calculating the estimated time en route and total fuel requirement based upon such factors as a. Power settings. b. Operating altitude or flight level. c. Wind. d. Fuel reserve requirements. 3. Select and correctly interpret the current and applicable en route charts, DPs (instrument departure procedures), STAR (standard terminal arrival), and standard instrument approach procedure charts. (Review Chapter 8 in this book and AIM in particular for this.) 4. Obtain and correctly interpret applicable NOTAM information. 5. Determine that the calculated performance is within the aircraft’s capability and operating limitations. 6. Complete and file a flight plan in a manner that accurately reflects the conditions of the proposed flight (this does not have to be filed with ATC). 7. Demonstrate adequate knowledge of the global positioning system (GPS) and receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) capability, when the aircraft is so equipped.

Preflight Procedures Aircraft Systems Related to IFR Operations References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapters 2 and 7 in this book. Objective: The examiner will determine that you have adequate knowledge of the aircraft’s anti-icing/ deicing system(s) and their operating methods to include: 1. Airframe. 2. Propeller. 3. Intake. 4. Fuel system. 5. Pitot-static.

Aircraft Flight Instruments and Navigation Equipment References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapters 2 and 5 in this book.

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Objective: To determine that you: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the applicable aircraft flight instrument system(s) and their operating characteristics to include a. Pitot-static. b. Altimeter. c. Airspeed indicator. d. Vertical speed indicator. e. Attitude indicator. f. Horizontal situation indicator. g. Magnetic compass. h. Turn-and-slip indicator/turn coordinator. i. Heading indicator. j. Electrical systems. k. Vacuum systems. l. Electronics flight instrument displays (PFD, MFD) 2. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the applicable aircraft navigation system(s) and their operating methods to include a. VHF omnirange (VOR). b. Distance measuring equipment (DME). c. Instrument landing system (ILS). d. Marker beacon receiver/indicators. e. ADS-B/transponder. f. Global Positioning System (GPS/WAAS). g. Flight Management System (FMS).

Instrument Cockpit Check References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapters 2, 5, and 10 in this book. Objective: Here is where it will be checked if you 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the preflight instrument, avionics, and navigation equipment cockpit checklist by explaining the reasons for the check and how to detect possible defects. 2. Are able to perform the preflight instrument, avionics, and navigation equipment cockpit check by following the checklist appropriate to the aircraft flown. 3. Determine that the aircraft is in condition for safe instrument flight including a. Communications equipment. b. Navigation equipment, as appropriate to the aircraft flown. c. Magnetic compass. d. Heading indicator. e. Attitude indicator. f. Altimeter. g. Turn-and-slip indicator/turn coordinator. h. Vertical speed indicator.

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i. Airspeed indicator. j. Clock. k. Power source for gyro instruments. l. Pitot heat. m. Electronic flight instrument display. n. Traffic awareness/warning/avoidance system. o. Terrain awareness/warning/avoidance system. p. FMS (flight management system). q. Autopilot. 4. Note any discrepancies and determine whether the aircraft is safe for instrument flight or requires maintenance. (A rule of thumb is that the attitude indicator and heading indicator should have been running at least 5 minutes before takeoff to ensure that the gyros are up to speed.)

Air Traffic Control Clearances and Procedures Note: The ATC clearance may be an actual or simulated ATC clearance based upon the flight plan.

Air Traffic Control Clearances References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; AIM; Chapters 6, 9, 10, 12, and 13 in this book. Objective: You’ll be expected to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements of ATC clearances and pilot/controller responsibilities to include clearance void times. 2. Understand PIC emergency authority. 3. Be knowledgable of lost comm procedures. 4. Copy correctly, in a timely manner, the ATC clearance as issued. 5. Determine that it is possible to comply with ATC clearance. 6. Interpret correctly the ATC clearance received and, when necessary, request clarification, verification, or change. 7. Read back correctly, in a timely manner, the ATC clearance in the sequence received. 8. Use standard phraseology when reading back clearance. 9. Set the appropriate communication and navigation frequencies and transponder codes in compliance with the ATC clearance.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Compliance with Departure, En Route, and Arrival Procedures and Clearances References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; DPs; en route low altitude chart; STARs; Chapters 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 in this book. Objective: Make sure that you understand how and are able to: 1. Show adequate knowledge of DPs, en route low altitude charts, STARs, and related pilot/controller responsibilities. 2. Use the current and appropriate navigation publications for the proposed flight. (Double check this. Too many times people arrive for the flight test with outdated publications.) 3. Select and use the appropriate communications frequencies; select and identify the navigation aids associated with the proposed flight. Another problem found on flight tests (and in real life too) is that pilots assume that the frequency used last week or month is still good or that the facility is not down for repairs. Of course, if you’d check the NOTAMs.... 4. Perform the appropriate aircraft checklist items relative to a particular phase of a flight. It’s hoped that you’ve been using a proper checklist throughout your training and don’t start using one just for the test. 5. Establish two-way communications with the proper controlling agency and use the proper phraseology. 6. Comply, in a timely manner, with all ATC instructions and airspace restrictions. 7. Exhibit adequate knowledge of two-way radio communications failure procedures. If you haven’t heard talking for a few minutes, get a “time check” or “altimeter setting” to make sure you still have communications. If there’s no answer after a reasonable time, execute the lost communications procedures you’ve learned. 8. Intercept, in a timely manner, all courses, radials, and bearings appropriate to the procedure, route, or clearance. 9. Maintain the applicable airspeed within 10 knots, headings within 10°, altitude within 100 feet, and track a course, radial, or bearing within a ¾-scale deflection of the CDI.

Holding Procedures References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; AIM; Chapter 12 in this book. Note: Any reference to DME will be disregarded if the aircraft is not so equipped.

Chapter 15 / Instrument Rating Practical Test

Objective: To determine that you: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of holding procedures. 2. Change to the holding airspeed appropriate for the altitude or aircraft when 3 minutes or less from, but prior to arriving at, the holding fix. 3. Explain and use an entry procedure that ensures that the aircraft remains within the holding pattern airspace for a standard, nonstandard, published, or nonpublished holding pattern. 4. Recognize arrival at the holding fix and initiate prompt entry into the holding pattern. 5. Comply with ATC reporting requirements. 6. Use the proper timing criteria, where applicable, as required by altitude or ATC instructions. 7. Comply with pattern leg lengths when a DME distance is specified. 8. Use proper wind correction procedures to maintain the desired pattern and to arrive over the fix as close as possible to a specified time. 9. Maintain the airspeed within 10 knots, altitude within 100 feet, headings within 10°, and track a specified course, radial, or bearing within a ¾-scale deflection of the CDI. 10. Keep up with fuel status and the time until a diversion becomes necessary.

Flight by Reference to Instruments Basic Instrument Flight Maneuvers The examiner wants to determine that you can perform basic flight maneuvers. You’ll be expected to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements related to attitude instrument flying during straight and level, climbs, turns, and descents while conducting various instrument flight procedures. 2. You’ll maintain altitude within ±100 feet during level flight, headings within ±10°, airspeed within ±10 knots and bank angles within ±5° during turns. 3. You’ll use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation and apply the appropriate pitch, bank, power, and trim corrections when applicable. The following five partial panel exercises are not included explicitly in the ACS, but reviewing them in your mind (chair flying) could come in handy since some or all of them could be incorporated in the loss of primary flight instruments task or the partial panel non-precision approach.

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Straight and Level Flight (Partial-Panel) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 4 in this book. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the factors relating to attitude instrument flying during straight and level flight. 2. Maintain straight and level flight in the aircraft configuration specified by the examiner. 3. Maintain the heading within 10°, altitude within 100 feet, and airspeed within 10 knots. 4. Use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation and apply the appropriate pitch, bank, power, and trim corrections. If there’s one most common error in flying without the attitude and heading indicators (partialpanel), it’s that of poor heading control. Even a small deflection of the needle (or small airplane in the turn coordinator) for a few seconds can get the airplane off heading more than you realize. If you’re like most pilots at this stage, your altitude control will be better than your heading control.

Change of Airspeed (Partial-Panel) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 4 in this book. Objective: To make sure that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements relating to attitude instrument flying during change of airspeeds in straight and level flight and in turns. 2. Establish a proper power setting when changing airspeed. 3. Maintain the heading within 10°, angle of bank within ±5° when turning, altitude within 100 feet, and airspeed within 10 knots. 4. Use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation and apply the appropriate pitch, bank, power, and trim corrections. If you’ve been having problems with heading control (partial-panel) in straight and level flight, changing airspeeds with the required power changes needed to maintain a constant altitude will complicate the situation. This is a tough exercise because the tendency is to spend too much time looking at the altimeter and/or power instruments. Keep that scan going.

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Constant-Airspeed Climbs and Descents (Partial-Panel) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 4 in this book. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the factors relating to attitude instrument flying during constantairspeed climbs and descents. 2. Demonstrate climbs and descents at a constant airspeed between specific altitudes in straight or turning flight, as specified by the examiner. 3. Enter constant-airspeed climbs and descents from a specified altitude, airspeed, and heading. 4. Establish the appropriate change of pitch and power to establish the desired climb and descent performance. 5. Maintain the desired airspeed within 10 knots, heading within 10°, or, if in a turning maneuver, within 5° of the desired bank angle. 6. Perform the level-off within 100 feet of the desired altitude. 7. Use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation and apply the appropriate pitch, bank, power, and trim corrections. The airspeed indicator will be the major reference for pitch control in these climbs and descents. In smooth air you should be able to hold within 1 knot of the chosen climb or descent airspeed (disregarding checkitis). Remember that if the airspeed is off the mark, don’t try to get back to it all at once; the tendency is to over control with the airspeed going out of the practical test limits. And while the airspeed chase is going on, the heading is neglected, with “torque” (in the climb) giving a smooth 90° turn, or more before you catch it.

Rate Climbs and Descents (Partial-Panel) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 4 in this book. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the factors relating to attitude instrument flying during rate climbs and descents. 2. Demonstrate climbs and descents at a constant rate between specified altitudes in straight or turning flight, as directed by the examiner. 3. Enter rate climbs and descents from a specified altitude, airspeed, and heading.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

4. Establish the appropriate change of pitch, bank, and power to establish the desired rate of climb or descent. 5. Maintain the desired rate of climb and descent within 100 fpm, airspeed within 10 knots, heading within 10°, or, if in a turning maneuver, within 5° of the desired bank angle. 6. Perform the level-off within 100 feet of the desired altitude. 7. Use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation and apply the appropriate pitch, bank, power, and trim corrections. Don’t get the idea that if the climb or descent rate is off your only correction is to fly the airplane with the elevators. Remember that the rates of climb and descent are controlled by the excess or deficit thrust horsepower respectively, if you don’t have the proper power setting or don’t reset it as necessary, you may be trying to, for instance, climb by your own bootstraps and the airspeed gets out of the limits allowed in flight test. Pull to climb; pull a little more to go down.

Timed Turns to Magnetic Compass Headings (Partial-Panel) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 4 in this book. Note: If the aircraft has a turn-and-slip indicator, the phrase “miniature aircraft of the turn coordinator” applies to the turn needle. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of procedures relating to calibrating the miniature aircraft of the turn coordinator, the operating characteristics and errors of the magnetic compass, and the performance of timed turns to specified compass headings. 2. Establish indicated standard-rate turns, both right and left. 3. Apply the clock correctly to the calibration procedure. 4. Change the miniature aircraft position, as necessary, to produce a standard-rate turn. 5. Make timed turns to specified compass headings. 6. Maintain the altitude within 100 feet, airspeed within 10 knots, bank angle 5° of a standard- or half-standard-rate turn, and roll-out on specified headings within 10°.

Chapter 15 / Instrument Rating Practical Test

Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes (Attitude Indicator Inoperative) (Note: At the time of this writing, this is not in the ACS.) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 4 in this book. Note: Any intervention by the examiner to prevent the aircraft from exceeding any operating limitations or entering an unsafe flight condition is disqualifying. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the factors relating to attitude instrument flying during recovery from unusual flight attitudes (both nose-high and nose-low). 2. Use proper instrument cross-check and interpretation and apply the appropriate pitch, bank, and power corrections in the correct sequence to return the aircraft to a stabilized level flight attitude. A couple of notes: Review this area of flying carefully in Chapter 4 of this book. A problem in the recovery from a nose-low unusual attitude is that the (usually) excessive airspeed will tend to bring the nose up radically as the wings are leveled, and you may have to come in smoothly with strong forward pressure to stop the excessive pitch-up. A common error in the nose-high, or approach to, stall recovery is that the nose, after being lowered, is brought back up to the level flight attitude too soon and a secondary stall occurs.

Navigation Systems Note: Be sure that you are fully current on the navigation systems as required in this Area of Operation.

Intercepting and Tracking Navigational Systems and DME Arcs References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; AIM; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapter 5 in this book. Note: Any reference to DME arcs or GPS shall be disregarded if the aircraft is not equipped with these specified navigational systems. Objective: To determine that the applicant: 1. Exhibits adequate knowledge of the elements related to intercepting and tracking navigational systems and DME arcs. 2. Tunes and correctly identifies the navigational facility.

15-9

3. Sets and correctly orients the radial to be intercepted into the course selector or correctly identifies the radial on the radio magnetic indicator (RMI). 4. Intercepts the specified radial at a predetermined angle, inbound or outbound from a navigational facility. 5. Maintains the airspeed within 10 knots, altitude within 100 feet, and selected headings within 5°. 6. Applies proper correction to maintain a radial, allowing no more than three-quarter-scale deflection of the CDI or within 10° in case of an RMI. 7. Determines the aircraft position relative to the navigational facility or from a waypoint in the case of GPS. 8. Intercepts a DME arc and maintains that arc within 1 NM. 9. Recognizes navigational receiver or facility failure and, when required, reports the failure to ATC.

Instrument Approach Procedures Nonprecision Approach References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; IAP; AIM; Chapters 5 and 13 in this book. Note: You must accomplish at least two nonprecision approaches (one of which must include a procedure turn or, in the case of an RNAV approach, a Terminal Arrival Area (TAA) procedure) in simulated or actual weather conditions. At least one nonprecision approach must be flown without the use of autopilot and without the assistance of radar vectors. (The yaw damper and flight director are not considered parts of the autopilot for the purpose of this part.) One approach will probably be partial panel (it’s expected of the examiner). A missed approach or a landing will complete the approach, at the examiner’s discretion. The examiner will select nonprecision approaches that are representative of the type that the applicant is likely to use. The choices must utilize two different types of navigational aids. Some examples of navigational aids for the purposes of this part are: VOR, LOC, LDA, GPS, or RNAV. Objective: To determine that you: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements related to an instrument approach procedure. 2. Select and comply with the appropriate instrument approach procedure to be performed.

15-10

3. Establish two-way communications with ATC, as appropriate to the phase of flight or approach segment, and use proper radio communication phraseology and technique. 4. Select, tune, identify, and confirm the operational status of navigation equipment to be used for the approach procedure. 5. Comply with all clearances issued by ATC or the examiner. 6. Recognize if any flight instrumentation is inaccurate or inoperative, and take appropriate action. 7. Advise ATC or examiner anytime the aircraft is unable to comply with a clearance. 8. Establish the appropriate aircraft configuration and airspeed considering turbulence and wind shear, and complete the aircraft checklist items appropriate to the phase of the flight. 9. Maintain, prior to beginning the final approach segment, altitude within 100 feet, heading within 10°, and allow less than a full-scale deflection of the CDI or within 10° in the case of an RMI, and maintain airspeed within 10 knots. 10. Apply the necessary adjustments to the published MDA and visibility criteria for the aircraft approach category when required, such as a. NOTAMs. b. Inoperative aircraft and ground navigation equipment. c. Inoperative visual aids associated with the landing environment. d. National Weather Service (NWS) reporting factors and criteria. 11. Establish a rate of descent and track that will ensure arrival at the MDA prior to reaching the MAP with the aircraft continuously in a position from which descent to a landing on the intended runway can be made at a normal rate using normal maneuvers. 12. Allow, while on the final approach segment, no more than a three-quarter-scale deflection of the CDI or within 10° in case of an RMI, and maintain airspeed within 10 knots. 13. Maintain the MDA, when reached, within +100 feet, –0 feet to the VDP or MAP. 14. Execute the missed approach procedure when the required visual references for the intended runway are not distinctly visible and identifiable at the MAP. 15. Execute a normal landing from a straight-in or circling approach when instructed by the examiner.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Precision Approach References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; IAP; AIM, Chapters 5 and 13 in this book. Note: A precision approach, utilizing aircraft NAVAID equipment for centerline and vertical guidance, must be accomplished in simulated or actual instrument conditions to DA/DH. Objective: To determine that you: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements of an ILS approach or an LPV approach (if the DA is 300 feet or less). 2. Accomplish the appropriate precision instrument approaches as selected by the examiner. 3. Establish two-way communications with ATC using the proper communications phraseology and techniques as required for the phase of flight or approach segment. 4. Comply, in a timely manner, with all clearances instructions, and procedures. 5. Advise ATC anytime that you are unable to comply with a clearance. 6. Establish the appropriate airplane configuration and airspeed/v-speed considering turbulence, wind shear, microburst conditions, or other meteorological and operating conditions. 7. Complete the aircraft checklist items appropriate to the phase of flight or approach segment, including engine out approach and landing checklists, if appropriate. 8. Prior to beginning the final approach segment, maintain the desired altitude ±100 feet, the desired airspeed within ±10 knots, the desired heading within ±10°; and accurately track radials, course and bearings. 9. Select, tune, identify, and monitor the operational status of ground and airplane navigation equipment used for the approach. 10. Apply the necessary adjustments to the published DA/DH and visibility criteria for the airplane approach category as required, such as— a. NOTAMs. b. Inoperative airplane and ground navigation equipment. c. Inoperative visual aids associated with the landing environment. d. NWS reporting factors and criteria.

Chapter 15 / Instrument Rating Practical Test

11. Establish a predetermined rate of descent at the point where the electronic glide slope begins, which approximates that required for the aircraft to follow the glide slope. 12. Maintain a stabilized final approach, from the final approach fix to DA/DH allowing no more than three-quarter scale deflection of either the glide slope or localizer indications and maintain the desired airspeed within ±10 knots. 13. A missed approach or transition to a landing shall be initiated at decision height. 14. Initiate immediately the missed approach when at the DA/DH, and the required visual references for the runway are not unmistakably visible and identifiable. 15. Transition to a normal landing approach (missed approach for seaplanes) only when the aircraft is in a position from which a descent to a landing on the runway can be made at a normal rate of descent using normal maneuvering. 16. Maintain localizer and glide slope within threequarter-scale deflection of the indicators during the visual descent from DA/DH to a point over the runway where glide slope must be abandoned to accomplish a normal landing.

Missed Approach References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91: Instrument Flying Handbook; standard instrument approach procedure chart; AIM; Chapters 8 and 13 in this book. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements of missed approach procedures associated with standard instrument approaches. 2. Initiate the missed approach promptly by applying power, establishing a climb attitude, and reducing drag in accordance with the aircraft manufacturer’s recommendations. 3. Report to ATC when beginning the missed approach procedure. 4. Comply with the published or alternate missed approach procedure. 5. Advise ATC or the examiner any time the aircraft is unable to comply with a clearance, restriction, or climb gradient. 6. Follow the recommended checklist items appropriate to the go-around procedure. 7. Request, if appropriate, ATC clearance to the alternate airport, clearance limit, or as directed by the examiner.

15-11

8. Maintain the recommended airspeed within ±10 knots; heading, course, or bearing within ±10°; and altitude(s) within +100 feet during the missed approach procedure.

Circling Approach References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; standard instrument approach procedure chart; AIM; Chapters 8 and 13 in this book. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements of a circling approach procedure. 2. Select and comply with the appropriate circling procedure considering turbulence, wind shear, and the maneuvering capabilities of the aircraft. 3. Confirm the direction of traffic and adhere to all restrictions and instructions issued by ATC and the examiner. 4. Avoid exceeding the visibility criteria or descending below the appropriate circling altitude until in a position from which a descent to a normal landing can be made. 5. Maneuver the aircraft after reaching the authorized MDA and maintain that altitude between +100 feet, -0 feet and a flight path that permits a normal landing on a runway. The runway selected must be such that it requires at least a 90° change of direction, from the final approach course, to align the aircraft for landing.

Landing from a Straight-In or Circling Approach References: 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91; IAP; Instrument Flying Handbook; AIM; Chapters 5, 8, and 13 in this book. Objective: To determine that you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the pilot’s responsibilities, and the environmental, operational, and meteorological factors that affect a landing from a straight-in or circling approach. 2. Make transition at the DH/DA, MDA, or visual descent point to a visual flight condition, allowing for safe visual maneuvering and a normal landing. 3. Adhere to all ATC (or examiner) advisories such as: NOTAMs, wind shear, wake turbulence, runway surface, braking conditions, and other operational considerations. 4. Complete appropriate checklist items for the prelanding and landing phase. 5. Maintain positive aircraft control throughout the complete landing maneuver.

15-12

Emergency Operations Note to reader: The order of the introduction of the Tasks of EMERGENCY OPERATIONS has been changed by this writer to initially emphasize the items most important to both single- and multiengine instrument rating applicants.

Loss of Communications Objective: You’ll be expected to: 1. Recognize the loss of communication. 2. Continue to the destination according to the flight plan. 3. Know when to deviate from the flight plan. 4. Know the timing for beginning an approach at the destination.

Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators Note: This Task may be considered satisfactory if you have successfully completed a nonprecision approach without using the attitude and heading indicators (in the appropriate class aircraft). Objective: You’ll be expected to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge of the elements that relate to recognizing if the attitude indicator and/or heading indicator is inaccurate or inoperative and advise ATC or the examiner. 2. Advise ATC or the examiner anytime the aircraft is unable to comply with a clearance. 3. Demonstrate a nonprecision instrument approach without gyro attitude and heading indicators, using the objectives of a nonprecision approach.

Instrument Flight in a Multiengine Airplane In addition to getting the usual airspeeds and power settings for engine performance at different phases of flight (holding, rate climbs, descents, etc.), you’ll also have to have the right numbers for flying the airplane with an engine out. For instance, you would need to know the numbers for best angle and rate of climb, maintaining altitude, or making a 500-fpm descent, clean and/or with the gear down. One thing that multiengine pilots don’t like to think about is a missed approach on one engine in solid IFR conditions. (They don’t like to think of a for-real goaround on one in VFR conditions either.) With an engine out, heading will again be a major problem; you’ll have to directionally trim for the various regimes of flight: (1) straight and level, (2) the

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

approach with some power and the break-out, and (3) landing with the throttle at idle. The heading will slide off rapidly at the initial power loss and will continually be a factor throughout the approach. Altitude will also be a problem, particularly if the airplane is heavy and the density-altitude is high. If you are IFR and lose an engine, a definite emergency exists; and after you have the airplane under control, let ATC know that you must have priority (unless somebody else has both engines gone or has a fire). The point is, with an engine out you’ll want to make the runway the first time and should get plenty of dual instruction and drill for this. In addition to the usual FAA book references, some additional references have been added to each of the following Tasks for your information (see the Bibliography).

One Engine Inoperative During Straight and Level Flight and Turns (Multiengine) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Advanced Pilot’s Flight Manual (APFM), Chapter 15; Flight Instructor’s Manual (FIM), Chapter 18. Objective: Here it will be ascertained that you: 1. Have and show adequate knowledge of the procedures used if engine failure occurs during straight and level flight and turns while on instruments. 2. Recognize engine failure simulated by the examiner during straight and level flight and turns. 3. Set all engine controls, reduce drag, and identify and verify the inoperative engine. 4. Establish the best engine-inoperative airspeed and trim the aircraft. 5. Verify the accomplishment of prescribed checklist procedures for securing the inoperative engine. 6. Establish and maintain the recommended flight attitude, as necessary, for best performance during straight and level and turning flight. 7. Attempt to determine the reason for the engine failure. 8. Monitor all engine control functions and make necessary adjustments. 9. Maintain the specified altitude within ±100 feet, if within the aircraft’s capability, airspeed within ±10 knots, and the desired heading within ±10°. 10. Assess the aircraft’s performance capability and decide an appropriate action to ensure a safe landing. 11. Avoid loss of aircraft control or attempted flight contrary to the engine-inoperative operating limitations of the aircraft.

Chapter 15 / Instrument Rating Practical Test

Instrument Approach — One Engine Inoperative (Multiengine) References: 14 CFR Part 61; Instrument Flying Handbook; APFM, Chapter 15; FIM, Chapter 18. Objective: To make sure you are able to: 1. Exhibit adequate knowledge by explaining the procedures used during an instrument approach in a multiengine aircraft with one engine inoperative. 2. Recognize promptly engine failure simulated by the examiner. 3. Set all engine controls, reduce drag, and identify and verify the inoperative engine. 4. Establish the best engine-inoperative airspeed and trim the aircraft. 5. Verify the accomplishment of prescribed checklist procedures for securing the inoperative engine. 6. Establish and maintain the recommended flight attitude and configuration for the best performance for all maneuvering necessary for the instrument approach procedures. 7. Attempt to determine the reason for the engine failure. 8. Monitor all engine control functions and make necessary adjustments. 9. Request and receive an actual or a simulated ATC clearance for an instrument approach. 10. Follow the actual or a simulated ATC clearance for an instrument approach. 11. Establish a rate of descent that will ensure arrival at the minimum descent altitude (MDA/DH) prior to reaching the missed approach point (MAP), with the aircraft continuously in a position from which descent to a landing on the intended runway can be made straight in or circling. 12. Maintain, where applicable, the specified altitude within 100 feet (if within the aircraft’s capability), the airspeed within 10 knots, and heading within 10°. 13. Set the navigation and communication equipment used during the approach and use the proper communications technique. 14. Avoid loss of aircraft control or attempted flight contrary to the engine-inoperative operating limitations of the aircraft. 15. Comply with the published criteria for the aircraft approach category when circling. 16. Allow, while on the final approach segment, no more than three-quarter-scale deflection of either the localizer or glide slope or GPS indications, or within ±10° or ¾-scale deflection of the nonprecision final approach course. 17. Complete a safe landing (most important item of all).

15-13

Postflight Procedures Checking Instruments and Equipment References: 14 CFR Part 91; Instrument Flying Handbook; Chapters 2, 4, and 5 in this book. Objective: To make sure you: 1. Exhibit knowledge of elements relating to instrument and navigation equipment for proper operation. 2. Note all flight equipment for proper operation. 3. Note all equipment and/or aircraft malfunctions and make appropriate documentation of improper operation or failure of such equipment. The Airman Certification Standards book is based on these references: 14 CFR Part 61—Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors 14 CFR Part 68—Requirements for Operating Certain Small Aircraft Without a Medical Certificate 14 CFR Part 91—General Operating and Flight Rules AC 00-6—Aviation Weather AC 00-45—Aviation Weather Services AC 60-28—English Language Skill Standards Required by 14 CFR Parts 61, 63 and 65 AC 61-136—FAA Approval of Aviation Training Devices and Their Use for Training and Experience AC 68-1—Alternative Pilot Physical Examination and Education Requirements AC 91-74—Pilot Guide: Flight in Icing Conditions AC 91.21-1—Use of Portable Electronic Devices Aboard Aircraft AC 120-108—Continuous Descent Final Approach AFM—Airplane Flight Manual AIM—Aeronautical Information Manual FAA-H-8083-2—Risk Management Handbook FAA-H-8083-3—Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-15—Instrument Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-16—Instrument Procedures Handbook FAA-H-8083-25—Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge IFP—Instrument Flight Procedures POH/AFM—Pilot’s Operating Handbook/FAAApproved Airplane Flight Manual Other—Chart Supplements, navigation charts, NOTAMs

15-14

...and Beyond the Tests Keep up your proficiency — After you get the instrument rating, try not to be too lordly with the noninstrument-rated pilots at the airport. Of course, you may be expected to do a little snowing, but hold it down to a dull roar. Remember that those VFR types have been sitting on the ground for a long time now, watching pilots like you take off into weather that has kept them there, haunting the Aviation Weather Center and on the phone with FSS. They squeaked in by the skin of their teeth (the airport went well below VFR minimums shortly after they got in and has been that way for days). The bitter part about it is that the tops are running only 3,000 or 4,000 feet. It’s CAVU (Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited) above, and the weather at their destination is very fine VFR — and there they sit. You think about that as you complete the filing of your IFR flight plan and move toward your airplane. The VFR pilots in the lounge watch you, and you have a pretty good idea of what they’re thinking (“She’s filing IFR and is going...” or, “He doesn’t look like he’s got any more on the ball than I do.”) Since this sounds suspiciously like paragraph one of Chapter 1 of this book, it looks as if this is where we came in.

Part Four / The Instrument Flight

Part Five Syllabus

5

Instrument Flight Manual Syllabus

A Flight Instructor’s Checklist and Pilot’s Guide to the Instrument Rating Contents Hourly Breakdown: Ground and Flight Instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 3 Books and Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 5 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 6 Stage 1 Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 7 Unit 1 Instrument Rating Requirements and Outline of the Course. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 7 Unit 2 Introduction to the Flight Instruments — The Four Fundamentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S – 8 Unit 3 The Pitch Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 11 Unit 4 The Bank Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 14 Unit 5 The Four Fundamentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 17 Unit 6 Exercises Using the Four Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 18 Unit 7 Six Basic Maneuvers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 20 Unit 8 Introduction to Partial-Panel and a Review of Full-Panel Instrument Flying. . . . . S – 22 Unit 9 Partial-Panel Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 24 Unit 10 The Six Basic Maneuvers, Partial-Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 26 Unit 11 Full-Panel Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 29 Unit 12 Recoveries from Unusual Attitudes, Full- and Partial-Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 30 Unit 13 Stage Check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 32

Stage 2 Navigation and Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 35 Unit 1 Navigational Aids and Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 35 Unit 2 Communications and ATC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 38

Stage 3 Planning the Instrument Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 41 Unit 1 Weather Systems and Weather Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 41 Unit 2 Charts and Other Graphic Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 45 Unit 3 Planning the Navigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 48

S-1

S-2

Part Five / Syllabus

Stage 4 The Instrument Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 49 Unit 1 Before the Takeoff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 49 Unit 2 Takeoff and Departure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 51 Unit 3 En Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 51 Unit 4 The Instrument Approach and Landing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 53 Unit 5 IFR Cross-Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 54 Unit 6 IFR Cross-Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 55 Unit 7 Basic Instrument Flying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 55 Unit 8 Long IFR Cross-Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 58

Stage 5 The Knowledge Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 59 Stage 6 The Practical Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 63 Unit 1 IFR Cross-Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 63 Unit 2 Basic Instrument Flying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 63 Unit 3 IFR Cross-Country and Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 65 Unit 4 General Review and Extra Practice Flights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 66 Unit 5 Final School Practical Check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 66 Unit 6 FAA Practical Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S – 67

Instrument Rating Syllabus

S-3

Hourly Breakdown: Ground and Flight Instruction Stage 1 – Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Stage Subtotal

Ground 1.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 15.0 Hours

Flight 0.0 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 1.0 1.5 16.0 Hours

Stage 2 – Navigation and Communications Unit 1 2 Stage Subtotal

Ground 3.0 2.0 5.0 Hours

Flight 0.0 0.0 0.0 Hours

Stage 3 – Planning the Instrument Flight Unit 1 2 3 Stage Subtotal

Ground 6.0 4.0 1.0 11.0 Hours

Flight 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 Hours

Stage 4 – The Instrument Flight Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Stage Subtotal

Ground 2.0 0.5 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 10.0 Hours

Flight 0.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 1.5 4.0 11.0 Hours

S-4

Part Five / Syllabus

Stage 5 – The Knowledge Test Review Practice Test (allow) Stage Subtotal

Ground 4.0 2.0 6.0 Hours

Flight 0.0 0.0 0.0 Hours

Stage 6 – The Practical Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stage Subtotal

Total Hours

Ground 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 9.0 Hours

Flight 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 14.0 Hours

Ground

Flight

56.0 Hours

43.0 Hours

Instrument Rating Syllabus

S-5

Books and Equipment This syllabus is based on the use of the following books and equipment. They should be available for study and use by the instrument trainee and flight instructor during this course. • The Instrument Flight Manual (IFM) (This Edition, of course) • The Flight Instructor’s Manual (FIM). For the flight instructors to cross-reference with this book • Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) for the airplane being used (Makes sense.) • Flight computer (E6-B or electronic type) • FAR/AIM, published by ASA (FAR) and (AIM) • Aviation Weather (AW) AC 00-6 (or latest issuance) • Aviation Weather Services (AWS) AC 00-45 (or latest issuance) • Current en route IFR charts for the area of training* • Current approach charts for the area of training plus other sample charts as directed by the instrument flight instructor* • Chart Supplements U.S. for the U.S. states of training* • Pilot logbook • Airman Certification Standards (latest) for the instrument rating (ASEL) * paper or electronic versions.

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Part Five / Syllabus

Introduction This syllabus is written and included in this book to help the instrument instructor and the pilot, working on the instrument rating (ASEL) and is intended to serve as a checklist and guide from the first instrument lesson through the practical test for both parties. This syllabus follows the subject order of this book; here, the various instrument approaches are briefed in Units 3 and 4 of Stage 4, in preparation for the cross-country flights in Units 5 and 6. The instructor may be flying from, or near, airports that have the approaches covered in Stage 4. These approaches may be practiced before the cross-country phase is entered, but the instrument basics should be nearly completed before starting approaches. Sometimes the basics are left behind because of the temptation to “get on with it,” only to show up as problems during the latter part of the cross-country and approach phases. The ground and flight requirements for 14 CFR §61.65 and 14 CFR Part 141 Appendix C are met. The syllabus is broken into Units rather than flights or specific ground instruction times, though time estimates are given. The times are just that, estimates, and may be changed by local conditions or requirements by the school or instructor for a particular trainee. In some cases the instructor may skip to a following Unit because of weather or other factors. At the end of each Unit the Assigned Reading is for preparation for the next Unit. The use of flight simulators or flight training devices are covered in §61.65, 141 Appendix C (4)(b1-4) and will depend on the flight school’s operating approval. I would appreciate comments and suggestions to make this syllabus more useful to the instructor and trainee. William C. Kershner

Stage 1 Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying



The biggest mistake made in instrument training is to move on too quickly to cross-country and approaches in the instrument syllabus, to the detriment of the trainee’s progress. A too-early transition away from the basic instrument instruction will result in problems with the ATC flight portion of the training requiring a return to basics. The basics will be applied the rest of an instrument flying career in en route and approach work, and should be covered thoroughly before moving on.

Unit 1 Instrument Rating Requirements and Outline of the Course Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Review of 14 CFR §61.65. Briefly note the following as areas to be covered in the course.

Instrument rating requirements. (See Chapter 1 of this book.)



Ground training; aeronautical knowledge.

Aeronautical Information Manual.





ATC system and IFR operations.



IFR navigation and approaches.



Use of IFR en route and instrument approach procedure charts.



Weather reports and forecasts.



Safe and efficient operation of the aircraft under IFR rules.



Recognition of critical situations and windshear avoidance.



Aeronautical decision and judgment.



Crew resource management.

Flight proficiency.

Preflight preparation (flight planning).



Preflight procedures. Checking the weather and NOTAMs.



Preflight check.



Air traffic control clearances and procedures.



Flight by reference to instruments.



Navigation systems. S-7

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Part Five / Syllabus



Instrument approach procedures.



Emergency operation.



Postflight procedures.

Aeronautical experience (minimums).

50 hours of cross-country PIC, 10 hours in airplanes.



40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time.





15 hours of instrument flight training by a CFII.



3 hours of instrument instruction within 60 days in preparation for the practical test.

Cross-country flight of 250 NM along airways or ATC-directed routing.

Instrument approach at each airport.



Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems.



Discussion of the instrument and COMM/NAV equipment available in the training airplane(s) and/or flight simulator/flight training device to be used in the course.



Papers required to be on board (A ROW).



Discussion of the trainee’s and instructor’s schedules for the course.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapters 1, 2, and 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Trainee Initials

Unit 2 Introduction to the Flight Instruments — The Four Fundamentals Ground Instruction, 2.0 Hours This will be an introduction to the flight instruments so that basic instrument flight instruction may start. More details on the operations and errors of these instruments in later briefings and flights. This period may be broken up into 2 sessions or more time may be used for ground instruction.

Basic T instrument arrangement (or primary flight display layout, if applicable).



Pitch instruments.

Attitude indicator.



Altimeter.



Airspeed.



Vertical speed indicator.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying







Bank instruments.

Attitude indicator. Used for both pitch and bank indications; so it is the center of the Basic T scan.



Heading indicator. Old and new types.



Turn and slip. Usually electric but may be vacuum. Measures yaw only. Operates on the principle of precession.



Turn coordinator. Usually electric-driven. Measures both roll and yaw; also, operates on principle of precession.



Standard-rate turn.



Magnetic compass. A short review of the compass as a heading instrument.

The instrument scan.

Cross-check. The flight instruments must be checked continuously. (The attitude indicator should be included in every sweep of the other instruments.)



Interpretation. Watch for trends; confirm with other instruments.



Control. Control the airplane through instrument indications and/or trends.



Use a slower scan in initial training and include all flight instruments.



Engine instruments should be checked routinely (not every scan but every couple of minutes).

Working speeds of the airplane. The instructor should have these figured out in advance of the ground school session for the particular trainer being used. Use the procedure as indicated in FIM Figures 24-1 and 24-2 and accompanying description.

Approach speed. This is the most important working speed. Gear down, flaps or partial flaps optional depending on the airplane. Probably no flaps used on the approach, but the speed should be chosen so that flaps may be extended after breaking out on final.





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Power setting (rpm, or manifold pressure and rpm as applicable) for a 500-fpm descent at the chosen configuration (clean or dirty).

Holding. Clean configuration.

Should be close to the approach airspeed, if not the same.



Power setting. May vary slightly with weight and altitude.



Max endurance is found at lowest altitude for reciprocating engines. (ATC will control altitude, however.)

Max rate of climb speed. Vary (slightly) to match holding and/or approach speed.

Control and performance instruments.



Control instruments control the airplane’s performance.

Attitude indicator.



Manifold pressure and tachometer or tachometer alone (fixed-pitch props).

Performance instruments. These indicate the actions of the airplane in straight and level, climbs, descents, and turns (the Four Fundamentals).

Airspeed. Controlled by elevator or stabilator.



Altimeter. Controlled by power; a trend indicator.

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Part Five / Syllabus



Heading indicator. Coordinated turns — always.



Turn Coordinator or turn and slip. Coordinated turns.



Vertical speed indicator. A trend instrument.

Note each of the control and performance instruments briefly; more detail will be given in later ground and flight instruction.

Primary and supporting instruments.

Primary — describe. The instrument that is primary at the initiation of a maneuver may be supporting as the maneuver progresses.



Supporting — describe. The supporting instrument may return to primary as a maneuver is completed.

This syllabus (and the references) does not subscribe to the primary and supporting concept, considering it to be confusing for many trainees.

Flight Instruction, 1.5 Hours

Preflight check. Point out additional checks for IFR work but no detail.



Normal pretakeoff check and climb. Suction gage and ammeter(s) are more important now.



The Four Fundamentals and the instrument indications. (Not hooded and using full-panel.) Set up the working airspeeds and power settings.







Straight and level.

Set up the scan.



Corrections for altitude excursions.



Corrections for heading excursions.

Climb.

Correction for “torque”; a bigger problem on instruments.



Airspeed control.

Descents.

Set up the proper airspeed and power setting (clean) for a 500-fpm descent.



Power required for descents at 500 fpm (with gear down, as applicable).

Holding (always in cleanest configuration).



Turns.





Set up airspeed for holding if different from approach or climb speeds. Standard-rate turn practice.

Return to airport.

Trainee is vectored back to the airport by instructor, using instruments but not hooded.



Prelanding checklist.



Check brake pedal pressure.

Normal pattern and landing.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying



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Postflight instruction.

Evaluation.



Review.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapters 3 and 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

Flight Time

N Number

Trainee Initials

Unit 3 The Pitch Instruments Ground Instruction, 1.5 Hours This ground session is a more detailed look at the pitch instruments than in Unit 2 and is the first Unit in which the hood is used. The instruction is a briefing for the introduction in flight of the various instruments, one-by-one. It is very important that the trainee have an excellent foundation of the instruments before moving on to navigation. A few instrument instructors fail to understand this and find that retrograde training must occur, which is bad for the learning process and morale.





Attitude Indicator (A/I).

Indications on the face for various pitch attitudes (for the particular training airplane).



The attitude indicator is just that, does not show performance.



Various attitude/power combinations will be used during this flight to show the trainee the technique in how to use the A/I to change or maintain a chosen attitude.

Altimeter (ALT).

Altimeter as a performance instrument for constant altitude control.



Altimeter as a trend instrument.



The altimeter is the most important pitch instrument for IFR flying.



At cruise, altitude may be corrected by pitch control.

Airspeed Indicator (ASI).

Best performance instrument for proper climb schedule.



If the airspeed is off for a given condition (climb, descent, approach) do not try to get the required value immediately. Make a slight correction then check the airspeed response.



Trim is very important in instrument flying for long-term airspeed control.

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Part Five / Syllabus

Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI). A trend and vertical rate instrument.

Discuss briefly the principle of operation.



Resulting 6- to 9-second lag.

Discuss the pitch instrument exercises to be done on this flight.

Of approximately 15 minutes of flight on each instrument, 10 minutes will be hooded.

Flight Instruction, 1.0 Hour (including preflight check)

Preflight check. Point out in more detail the antennas and other added instrument flight equipment. Heated pitot/static tube, location of the static port(s).



Point out the communications antenna; note that the antenna on top may be blanketed when directly overhead the station transmitting and the bottom antenna may not be useful when sitting (for instance) directly under the tower’s communications antenna.

Start. Ensure that all avionics equipment is OFF to avoid damage during start. (A master radio switch is useful.) Use the prestart and start checklist.

Emphasize that a checklist is even more important in IFR work because the pilot will be in IMC and committed to the system.



Cold or hot start procedures as needed.



Depending on the locale and the trainee’s previous experience, ATIS, clearance delivery, and ground control may be monitored or simulated. For some trainees and locales, the instructor should handle all of the communications initially.



Taxi. Turn indicator operates properly.



Pretakeoff check. Use checklist.





Items for VFR flight.



Items for IFR flight. Instructor points out the added importance of setting the heading indicator correctly to magnetic compass (IFM Figure 2-21).

Normal takeoff and climb to the practice area and smooth air.





Pitch instrument indications during the climb. (Refer to the heading and bank instruments as necessary to maintain a proper course.)

Attitude indicator (A/I) set to zero pitch at cruise. (Visual, then hooded.)

Maintain level flight (wings level).



Make minor changes up and down, using pitch lines and bar widths, as applicable and note effects on other instruments.



Return to normal cruise maintaining a level pitch attitude. (Make turns as necessary to stay in the practice area.)

Altimeter (ALT). Normal cruise.

Maintain level flight with altimeter as major reference-visual, then hooded.



Ease the nose up and down for minor altitude variations; check with attitude indicator.



Altimeter reactions to rate of pitch change.



Hold constant altitude using the altimeter and attitude indicator.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying





Lose or gain 200 feet of altitude by no more than one bar width or a selected marker pitch change.



Return to original altitude using the same technique.



Altitude changes by cross-checking altimeter and attitude indicator. (FIM Figure 24-7.)



Level flight altitude held to within ±20-foot deviations.

Airspeed indicator (ASI). This may be the first time some trainees have noticed the actions of the airspeed during very minor pitch changes in straight and level flight.



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Straight and level cruise flight (visual, then hooded).

Minor changes in pitch. Note slow change in airspeed.

Large changes in pitch. Note reaction of airspeed.



Straight and level with the ASI as the primary reference for pitch.



Fly straight and level at cruise, using cross-check of airspeed, altimeter, and attitude indicator.



Trim as an aid to pitch control.

Break

Vertical speed indicator (VSI) and instantaneous VSI (or IVSI).

At cruise (smooth air) maintain a constant zero indication (visual, then hooded).



Make predetermined pitch changes with the attitude indicator and note the response of the VSI.



Set up 500-fpm climbs and descents using the VSI.



Make altitude deviations from level flight at 200 fpm and 100 fpm, with the VSI being the primary reference but cross-check with A/I, ALT, and ASI.



Cross-check A/I, ALT, ASI, and VSI in straight and level, climb, and descent exercises (hooded).



Return to airport (visual).



Postflight discussion. Instructor reviews:

Preflight check.



Start.



Taxi.



Pretakeoff check.



Takeoff.



Climb.



Pitch control.



Altitude control.



Cross-check.



Interpretation.



Control.



Smoothness.

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Part Five / Syllabus

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapters 3 and 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapters 24–25). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 4 The Bank Instruments The purpose of this Unit is to introduce the bank instruments and to establish the basics of the operation and reaction of these flight instruments. An approved flight simulator or flight training device may be used for this Unit.

Ground Instruction, 1.5 Hours

Review the instrument scan.



Review briefly the pitch instrument flight before moving on to the bank instruments.



Standard-rate turn.







3° per second.



Rule of thumb for the bank required for a standard-rate turn: (Airspeed in knots, divided by 10 and then add one-half of that result.) At 100 knots: 100/10 = 10 + ½ of 10 = 15°.



The standard-rate turn is used to avoid too-steep banks and the resulting inadvertent spirals.

Attitude indicator.

This instrument directly indicates pitch and bank and is the center of the instrument scan.



The attitude indicator may be used to set up a standard-rate turn using the rule of thumb just discussed.



The attitude indicator reacts to airplane acceleration by showing a more nose-up indication. This could be critical on a very low visibility or instrument takeoff because the pilot could lower the nose to the “correct” attitude and hit obstacles.



Except for practice exercises, when correcting to headings, the pilot should use the degrees of bank equal to the degrees to be turned, up to the bank required for a standard-rate turn.

Heading indicator.

Gives an indirect indication of bank. (Assume a balanced turn.) A high rate of heading change means a steep bank, and (obviously) a slow rate of heading change means a shallow bank.



Repeat: Correcting to heading, the pilot should use the degrees of bank equal to the degrees to be turned, up to the bank required for a standard-rate turn. Do not exceed the standard-rate turn in normal (actual) instrument flying.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying





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Turn indicator. Turn and slip (T/S) or turn coordinator (T/C).

Needle or small airplane indirectly indicates the bank attitude of the airplane. When the airplane is banked (ball centered), it is turning, the rate of turn being proportional to the angle of bank.



Turn coordinator also indicates roll for roll-in and roll-out of turn.



Turn and slip (needle) only indicates rate of yaw or nose movement.



The advantage of these instruments is that they will not tumble, and they normally have a source of power (electric) different from that of the attitude indicator or heading indicator.

Introduction of a simple clearance.

Flight Instruction, 1.0 Hour Plan to spend no more than 15 minutes (10 minutes hooded) on each of the three bank instruments. If the trainee is not too fatigued, a short period of practice using full-panel is suggested.

Preflight check. Review any unclear areas of the preflight check including pointing out various antennas but not in detail. Use a checklist.



Starting. Avionics must be OFF. Use a prestarting and starting checklist.



Taxi. Check operations of the turn indicator.



Pretakeoff check. Use a checklist. Five minutes from start to takeoff is a minimum time for gyro spin-up.



Takeoff. Trainee makes visual takeoff and then may make hooded climb with the instructor keeping a sharp lookout.



Trainee makes 90° climbing turns (hooded) to reach practice area and altitude.



Trainee practice. Plan on 15 minutes per instrument (10 minutes of this time, hooded).





Attitude indicator (A/I).

5° constant bank for 90°. Fly straight and level for a few seconds, then reverse the turn.



Practice constant banks of 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, and 30°, then reverse directions. Banks should be maintained within ±5°.



Instructor places the attitude indicator in various banks (shallow and medium, left and right) to ensure the trainee’s understanding and correct reading of the instrument.



Practice pitch and bank control using the attitude indicator.

Heading indicator. The attitude indicator will be used as an aid to the H/I.

Straight flight.



180° turns — 10° banks, then 20° banks. Note difference in rates.



Straight and level flight, all flight instruments except turn indicator.



Practice 90°, 180°, and 360° turns (15° banks) using all flight instruments except turn indicator.

Turn indicator. (All turns ball-centered!)

(1) Straight and level at cruise. Check heading with centered turn indication and ball.



(2) Cover attitude and heading indicators and have trainee fly straight and level for 2 minutes (smooth air). Uncover and check heading.



(3) Reverse course and repeat.



Repeat (2) and (3) until the heading is within ±5° (smooth air).

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Part Five / Syllabus



Use all instruments for straight and level and selected turn sequences done earlier.



Return to airport.





Trainee may be “vectored” back to the vicinity of the airport hooded if fatigue is not a factor. Then visual pattern entry.



Checklist (visual).



(Check brake pedal pressure before every landing.)



Traffic pattern entry.



Landing.



Taxi.



Shutdown and securing of airplane.



Fueling.

Postflight discussion. The instructor will evaluate and discuss the following as applicable:



Heading control.

Attitude indicator only.



Heading indicator only.



Turn indicator only.



All instruments.

Altitude control.

Attitude indicator only.



Altimeter indicator only.



Airspeed indicator only.



Vertical speed indicator.



All instruments.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapters 24 and 25). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

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Unit 5 The Four Fundamentals This Unit is used to tie together the use of the pitch and bank instruments and to introduce the Four Fundamentals (straight and level, climbs, descents, and turns). Full-panel.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Review the earlier flights and resolve questions as necessary.



Review the working airspeeds of the airplane.



Four Fundamentals.











Straight and level at 65% (cruise) power.

Power and expected IAS range.



Airspeed for holding.

Climb.

Airspeed and power for best rate of climb.



Power for climbs at 500-fpm.



Constant-rate climbs.



Constant-airspeed climbs (most desired).



Torque corrections and rudder trim for extended climbs.

Descent.

Airspeed and power setting for a 500-fpm clean descent.



Airspeed and power setting for a 500-fpm descent for an instrument approach configuration.

Vertical exercises (also called vertical S-1 [FIM Figure 24–17 and IFM Figure 4-17]).

Climb at holding or climb speed (as selected) for 2 minutes at 500 fpm.



Two minutes level at that speed.



Two-minute descent at that speed at 500 fpm.

Turns. Use all instruments.

Standard-rate turns, 90°, 180°, and 360°, each interspersed with 1-minute straight and level at cruise speed.



Calibrating the turn indicator (needle or turn coordinator).

Return to airport.

Instructor may discuss vectoring of the trainee back to the airport (hooded) for a visual pattern approach and entry.

Flight, 1.5 Hours (Full-panel)

Preflight check. (Instructor will supervise and review earlier checks.)



Starting.



Taxi.

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Part Five / Syllabus



Pretakeoff check.



Takeoff. Visual, with hooded climb-out at a safe altitude.



Climbs, 90° turns at standard rate.

Torque correction.



Level off and 2 minutes straight and level, reverse course and repeat.



Level at holding speed for 2 minutes. (Hooded, full-panel.)







Transition from cruise to holding speed ±100-foot altitude deviation.



Straight and level, ±100 feet, 10 knots. (Deviation allowance will be tightened up later.)

Vertical S-1, IFM Figure 4-17 (hooded, full-panel).

Climb at 500 fpm for 2 minutes at chosen climb (or holding pattern airspeed as required).



Level for 2 minutes at holding airspeed.



Descent for 2 minutes at 500 fpm at holding airspeed.



Level for 2 minutes at holding airspeed. Repeat the exercises as required or time allows.



180° turn at the end of each 2-minute straightaway.

Return to airport.



Instructor vectors hooded trainee to vicinity of airport, then a visual pattern entry and landing after use of checklist.

Shutdown and postflight check.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 6 Exercises Using the Four Fundamentals This Unit will review Unit 5 and introduce new exercises to use to pin down possible full-panel scan problems and to ensure a solid background in flying the Four Fundamentals.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

The instrument scan. Review any possible problems from the last Unit.



Four Fundamentals: airspeeds, pitch attitudes, and banks for each, as applicable.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying



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Straight and level. Start at cruise (65%) and at a constant altitude; make transitions by reducing airspeed in 10-knot intervals until an airspeed of 1.2 VS1 is reached. Reverse procedure in 10-knot intervals (180° turns can be made [hooded] to stay in the practice area).



Vertical S-2. (Straight-and-level at cruise speed, transition to approach speed/configuration with 500 fpm descent for 2 minutes, followed by a missed approach, clean-up and climb straight ahead to the original altitude, and a return to cruise speed… see FIM Figure 24-18.)



Introduction to the holding pattern (not using a reference such as a VOR or making wind corrections). Two-minute legs.



Introduction of the clock to the scan.

Flight, 1.0 Hour

Preflight, start, pretakeoff check, and visual takeoff made by the trainee.



Hooded climb to the practice area. The instructor may require a series of 90° climbing turns.



Level at the practice altitude:









Straight and level for 2 minutes.



Climb at 500 fpm for 2 minutes.



Straight and level for 2 minutes.



180° turn (left) at standard rate.



Straight and level for 2 minutes.



180° turn (right) at standard rate.



2-minute straight descent, repeat as time allows.

Holding (full-panel, hooded).

Establish holding airspeed.



2-minute legs “in the clear” (i.e., not referencing any fix).



Hold left and right turns.



Introduce descending in a holding pattern.

Return to airport (hooded).

Checklist.



Instructor vectors airplane into downwind leg, base, and final (traffic permitting). Trainee removes hood on final and lands airplane.

Postflight checklist.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

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Part Five / Syllabus

Unit 7 Six Basic Maneuvers This Unit allows the trainee to use the Four Fundamentals in a practical manner for “realistic” situations. This concept was covered in Chapter 15 of The Student Pilot’s Flight Manual and was intended as a practical approach for the low-time pilot to get out of a hazardous IMC condition.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Review Unit 5 briefly for questions and discussions of unclear areas.



The Six Basic Maneuvers covered in the order that they might occur in an actual situation. These will be done full-panel and hooded.



Recovery from an approach to a power-on spiral.

This is the most common loss of control.



Reduce power.



Level the wings using the attitude indicator.



Back pressure as needed to bring the nose up to level. (Don’t overshoot! Nose may rise as wings are leveled, so attention must be paid to pitch attitude to avoid a nose-high attitude.)

Recovery from an approach to a turning, power-on stall.

Primary need is to reduce the angle of attack, then level wings.



Add power, if not already used, to decrease altitude loss.



Lower the nose below level flight position (on attitude indicator) to assure no secondary stall.



Descending turn to a predetermined altitude/heading.



Climbing turn to a predetermined altitude/heading.



The problem is complete when both the predetermined altitude and heading have been attained. If the altitude is reached first; the airplane is leveled off and the turn continued. In others, the turn is complete, but straight climb/descent is required to attain the altitude.



180° constant-altitude turn. This is an important maneuver for a non-instrument rated pilot who encounters IMC.



Straight and level. This is needed to get back to VMC after the recovery has been completed.

Instrument takeoff (ITO). Depending on the trainee’s previous progress, the ITO may be introduced at this time.

Primarily a training maneuver.



Hazardous because of using ITO when below approach minimums.



Ensure sufficient time after engine start so that gyros are up to proper rpm.



ITO procedure (IFM Figure 4-42; FIM Figure 24-15.)

Set attitude indicator (A/I) for the proper ground attitude of the airplane.



Line up on runway and set heading indicator.



Taxi forward to straighten nose or tailwheel.



Apply full power (smoothly!).



Use heading indicator (H/I) to maintain a straight path on the runway.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying



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Instructor gives commands for correction (“right,” “left”) on practice ITOs.



At the prechosen airspeed, the airplane is rotated to a marker or value on the attitude indicator.



After lift-off maintain the proper pitch indication on the A/I as the other instruments are scanned. (Warn again of the A/I and the acceleration factor on takeoff.)



When the altimeter indicates altitude increase, relax the back pressure to avoid a too-high nose position as the airplane leaves ground effect.



Retract the landing gear (if applicable) at a safe (at least 100 feet) altitude.



Maintain the proper climb airspeed.

Review holding.

Flight, 1.5 Hours

Preflight check, starting, pretakeoff check.



Instructor gives a simple clearance with departure instructions.



Climb (hooded) to practice area and altitude, using 90° standard-rate turns. (Initial turn 45° from chosen course, then 90° turns left and right.)



The Six Basic Maneuvers (full-panel, hooded).

Recovery from an approach to a power-on spiral.



Climbing turn to a predetermined altitude and heading.



Recovery from an approach to a turning power-on stall.



Descent to a predetermined altitude and heading.



180° constant-altitude turn.



Straight and level flight.



Holding practice, 2-minute, then 1-minute legs (hooded). A clock is added to the scan.



Return to airport (hooded). Instructor may act as approach control and ASR operator at an airport without a control tower.

Checklist (use checklist and check brake pedals’ pressure).



Visual final for landing (naturally).



Postflight checklist.



Postflight debriefing.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

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Part Five / Syllabus

Unit 8 Introduction to Partial-Panel and a Review of Full-Panel Instrument Flying Ground Instruction, 1 Hour This Unit will introduce partial-panel flying for the Four Fundamentals. Partial-panel (P/P) recoveries from unusual attitudes will not be covered in this Unit. Instruments not in use for a particular exercise should be covered. Glass cockpit partial panel will consist of what the manufacturer lists as the standby instruments.

Straight and level flight without the attitude indicator and heading indicator and other combinations.



Attitude and heading indicators should be covered if inoperative or undependable in actual IMC conditions.





New scan.



The vertical speed indicator as a trend instrument.



Corrections for suspected excursions of heading.



Discuss instrument combinations for practice (IFM Figure 4-25).

Climbs.

Torque is a particular problem in climbs on partial-panel.



Climb entry.



Establish climb.



Climbing turn.



Leveling from the climb.





Steps: (1) Climb attitude (airspeed). (2) Climb power. (3) Torque correction. (4) Trim.

Steps: (1) Ease over to stop altimeter. (2) Ease off the torque correction. (3) Reduce power at cruise. (4) Trim.

Constant-altitude turns.

Airspeed decrease of 3% to maintain a constant altitude in a partial-panel standard-rate level turn (IFM Figure 4-26 C).



Tendency to gain altitude on roll-out.



Brief review of possible instrument combinations for the turn.

Descents.

Review power required for descents at 500 fpm.

Clean.



Approach configuration.



Lead level-off by 10% of the rate of descent.



Descending turns at 500 fpm (clean).



Combinations of instruments (IFM Figure 4-27).

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying



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Return to airport.

Normal pattern procedures.



Special pattern procedures.

Flight, 1.5 Hours

Preflight check, start, taxi, and pretakeoff check.



Instrument takeoff — full-panel (optional).



Climb and climbing turns to the practice area hooded (full-panel).



Level off and set power hooded (full-panel).



Partial-panel. Turn indicator, altimeter, airspeed, and vertical speed indicator. Add clock to scan.

Straight and level flight at cruise for 4 minutes.



Reverse course (p/p). Straight and level for 4 minutes.



Climb straight ahead at airspeed for best rate of climb.



Straight and level for 2 minutes. (Make turns as necessary to stay within the practice area.)



Descent, clean for 2 minutes at 500 fpm.



Straight and level for 2 minutes.



180° and 360° turns at standard rate.



Combinations of flight instruments (hooded). Some or all of these may be done at the instructor’s discretion and based on the trainee’s progress.



Straight and level (IFM Figure 4-25) using only the following:





Airspeed, attitude indicator, altimeter.



Heading indicator, altimeter.



Turn indicator, attitude indicator, altimeter.



Airspeed, turn indicator.



Heading indicator, vertical speed indicator.



Airspeed indicator, heading indicator.

Climbs (IFM Figure 4-28).



Full-panel, then:

Attitude indicator covered for 500-fpm climb (2 minutes).



Turn indicator, heading indicator, altimeter, vertical speed. Climb to a predetermined altitude and heading using only these instruments.



Full-panel climb to a predetermined altitude and heading.

Descents (IFM Figure 4-27). Power instruments will be part of the scan.

Straight descent without attitude indicator at 500 fpm, clean.



Timed straight descent without attitude or heading indicators. Lead level-off altitude by 10% of the rate of descent.



Timed straight descent (500 fpm for 2 minutes) using power instruments, attitude indicator, and vertical speed. Level off after 2 minutes and uncover altimeter.

S-24

Part Five / Syllabus



A timed descending turn to a predetermined altitude and heading (heading indicator and altimeter covered). Uncover to check results.

Constant-altitude, standard-rate turns (IFM Figure 4-26). Practice the following combinations in addition to the standard partial-panel (turn indicator, airspeed, altimeter, and vertical speed).

Attitude indicator and altimeter. After starting at a particular heading, a timed standardrate turn is made to a prechosen heading. The heading indicator is then uncovered to check results.



Turn indicator and altimeter. After the timed turn is completed, uncover the heading indicator to check results. Bank required for a standard rate turn is airspeed (knots) divided by 10 plus one-half of the result. For instance, 130 knots/10 = 13 + 6½° = 19½° (call it 20°).



Standard-rate turns, airspeed, and heading indicator. Let airspeed settle at cruise, then decrease airspeed 3% to maintain altitude in a standard-rate turn. Altimeter is uncovered and checked for results after the roll-out at a prechosen heading.



Hooded return to vicinity of the airport if the trainee is not too fatigued.



Normal (visual) pattern and landing.



Postflight check.

Note: This Unit may be broken into two flights or more as the instructor feels necessary. Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4, Partial-Panel). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 9 Partial-Panel Exercises This Unit is for further practice flying with concentration on the turn and slip or turn coordinator, airspeed, altimeter, and vertical speed instruments (attitude indicator and heading indicator covered).

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Review Unit 8 as needed (questions and answers).



The Four Fundamentals and combinations using only the partial-panel instruments.

Straight and level. If the needle or small airplane is deflected, stop it and turn in the opposite direction for an equal amount of time. The heading indicator is uncovered after a selected period of time to check heading accuracy. Trim is very important.



Calibrating procedure for the turn and slip or turn coordinator.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

S-25



Standard-rate left and right turn practice; the tendency is to overbank.



Standard-rate level timed turns to a predetermined heading. Using altimeter, vertical speed indicator, and the concept of reducing the airspeed by 3% to maintain a constant altitude in the standard-rate turn. Uncover the heading indicator to check accuracy of the turn.



Straight climbs. The trainee will tend to chase the climb airspeed. Emphasis should be put on easing the nose up or down to regain the proper airspeed. Use slight forward or back pressure as needed, then wait and see. Trim. Uncover the heading indicator after a selected period of time to check accuracy of heading.



Climbing turns.

Climbing turns in each direction without a prechosen heading. Practice the technique of holding a constant airspeed and rate of turn. These may be interspersed with straight and level flight, descents, and descending turns (to be covered later in the briefing).



Climbing turns to a preselected heading.



Climbing turns to a preselected heading and altitude if time and the trainee’s progress permit.



Straight descents. Review the airspeed power settings for 500-fpm straight descents in the clean configuration. These should be used alternately with straight climbs to keep the altitude within limits.



Straight descents in approach configuration at 500 fpm.



Descending turns to a predetermined altitude. There is a tendency to enter a spiral.



Descending turns to a predetermined altitude and heading.

Flight Instruction, 1.0 Hour The brief exercises should be covered but only enough to assure that the trainee has an introductory understanding of the requirements of the Four Fundamentals using partial-panel. Additional practice sessions will be included in Stage 1 or as a break and review in Stage 2 (Navigation and Communications).

Visual takeoff and initial climb.



Hooded climb after a safe altitude is reached (full-panel).



Level off and cover attitude indicator.



Calibration of the turn and slip or turn coordinator (not hooded). Then cover heading indicator.



The Four Fundamentals and combinations (hooded).

Straight and level flight.



Constant-altitude, timed turns to a preselected heading.



Visual break.



Straight climbs.



Climbing turns to a preselected altitude.



Straight and level.



Visual break.



Descents to a preselected altitude.



Descents to a preselected altitude and heading.



Straight and level.

S-26





Part Five / Syllabus



Visual break.



Climbing turns to a preselected altitude and heading.



Repeat the exercises as necessary.

Return to airport.

Instructor vectors the hooded trainee using all flight instruments.



Visual traffic pattern entry, pattern, and landing.



Postlanding and postshutdown procedures (checklist).

Postflight instruction.

Evaluation.



Review.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4, Recoveries from Unusual Attitudes). Instructor: IFM (Chapter 4); FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 10 The Six Basic Maneuvers, Partial-Panel This Unit is a follow-up to Unit 7, but the Six Basic Maneuvers will be done partial-panel as much as practicable.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Six Basic Maneuvers are covered in ground school in the order of their simplicity.



Straight and level.

Fly for at least 2 minutes (hooded) monitoring the turn indicator, altimeter, A/S, and vertical speed.



Uncover heading indicator to confirm heading. Make turns as necessary to stay in the practice area or to avoid controlled airspace as necessary and re-cover heading indicator.



Repeat the exercise as necessary.

180° standard-rate, timed turns.

This exercise is to reverse course to avoid weather hazards or other IFR requirements.



Set up on a cardinal heading, then cover the heading indicator.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying









S-27

Timing may be done by starting the turn and counting “One thousand and one, one thousand and two, etc.” for each 3° of turn, if a time piece is not available. (The clock with a sweep second hand was introduced back in Unit 6.)

Recovery from the start of a power-on spiral.

The spiral may be well started before the pilot is aware of it.



Most airplanes are designed to be slightly spirally unstable and will slowly and subtly enter a spiral if neglected, particularly in turbulence.



It is usually the result of distractions such as arranging or picking up dropped charts or approach plates.



Voice reports may be another distraction. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.



Fly the airplane first. If charts or approach charts are dropped, check instruments, then pick up charts. Check instruments, then turn to general area of required charts. Check instruments, then return to the required chart area or approach chart. Do not neglect flying the airplane for more than 5 to 7 seconds at any time during distractions.



Steps in recovery.

Recognize the situation by the turn indicator, high and/or increasing airspeed, loss of altitude, and high rate of descent.



Reduce power.



Center the turn indicator with coordinated controls to level the wings.



As the wings are leveled, the nose will start to rise. (The pitch-up tendency depends directly on the airspeed.)



Check airspeed. When it hesitates or decreases, apply forward pressure. The pitch attitude is approximately level.



Check the altimeter and “fly” the closest 100-foot hand.



Keep the wings level with the turn coordinator.



As the airspeed approaches cruise, add power to cruise.



Perform climb-and-turn to a prechosen altitude and heading.

Climbing turn to a predetermined altitude and heading.

Starting from cruise, initiate a straight climb.



Then set up a standard-rate turn to the preselected heading.



If altitude is reached first, level off but continue the timed turn.



If estimated (timed) heading is reached first, roll-out and continue climb with close attention to keeping the turn indicator centered.



The exercise is complete when both the predetermined altitude and heading are reached.

Approach to a climbing stall (cruise power).

From level flight, instructor will ease the nose up to the stall attitude.



Trainee lowers the nose with forward pressure until the airspeed changes (hesitates or increases).



Full power is added as the nose is lowered.



Center the turn indicator. It’s important that the ball be kept centered, particularly if the stall has broken; use rudder to center the ball.

S-28

Part Five / Syllabus





When the altimeter hesitates, allow another 100 feet of descent to ensure staying out of a secondary stall.



Maintain that altitude.



Keep turn indicator centered as cruise airspeed is approached.



Reduce power to cruise setting.

Descending turn to a predetermined altitude and heading.

From cruise flight, reduce power to descent value while slowing up to airspeed for descent.



Descend and turn using turn indicator, airspeed, altimeter, and vertical speed.



An uncontrolled spiral may result if attention wanders.



When the predetermined altitude or heading is attained, stop that factor and continue to complete the other requirement. The exercise is complete when both are attained.

Flight Instruction, 1.5 Hours

Preflight check, pretakeoff check, takeoff (visual), and climb (full-panel, hooded) when out of the traffic pattern to the practice area under instructor’s directions.



Calibrate turn indicator, left and right 360° turn.



Partial- or emergency-panel exercises (the Basic Six Maneuvers, hooded). Use airspeed, altimeter, turn indicator, and vertical speed for the following exercises.

Straight and level flying on a predetermined heading (then cover the heading indicator). Check heading after a prespecified time.



180° level turns in each direction from a cardinal heading with 2- to 4-minute straight and level flying in between. Uncover heading indicator to check for accuracy.

180° turn, plus 2 to 4 minutes of straight and level. Uncover heading indicator.

Break: Trainee removes hood for 5 minutes of rest.

Recovery from the start of a power-on spiral. Practice in both directions.



Review briefly steps in recovery as covered in the ground instruction.

Climbing turns to a predetermined altitude and heading.

These criteria may be established before the start of the power-on spiral or after the recovery.

Break: Five minutes of unhooded flight for a rest period.

Recovery from the approach to a climbing stall. Briefly review steps, as covered in ground instruction.



Descending turn(s) to a predetermined altitude and heading.



Return to the airport visually. Make a normal pattern entry and landing.



Post-shutdown checklist and securing of airplane.



Postflight instruction.

Evaluation.



Review.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

S-29

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, Review of the VOR). Instructor: IFM (Chapter 4); FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

Flight Time

N Number

Trainee Initials

Unit 11 Full-Panel Exercises This Unit repeats the use of full-panel so that the trainee will not get “fixed” on a partial-panel scan. Partial-panel (hooded) will be practiced during flights later in the syllabus. If a VOR is available nearby or the airplane has RNAV, introduction to holding at a fix should be introduced in this Unit. More-complex exercises should be done during this Unit as the trainee’s skill increases. Otherwise, the instructor may choose to repeat one or more of the Units as necessary. This Unit will assume that repetition is not necessary and the trainee is ready to move on.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Review earlier exercises, such as the Vertical S-1 and S-2.



Introduction and/or brief review of the VOR.



Holding patterns and entries at a constant altitude using the VOR (2-minute legs initially then 1-minute legs).



Introduction of the Charlie pattern (IFM Figure 4-22 and FIM Figure 24-28). (The instructor may carry a diagram on the flight as a memory jogger but still should keep an eye out as safety pilot.)



PAR (Precision Approach Radar) approach procedures.



Review the instrument takeoff. Again, emphasize the hazards of taking off when conditions are so low that a return to the airport in an emergency would be impossible.

Flight, 2.0 Hours

Preflight check, pretakeoff check.



Instrument takeoff (optional).



Hooded climb to the practice area under the instructor’s directions.



Holding at a VOR. Introduction of headwind or tailwind on leg (IFM Figure 4-24).



Vertical S-1 and S-2.

Break: Trainee removes hood and takes a 5-minute break.

Charlie pattern (IFM Figure 4-22).

Break: Five minutes.

S-30



Part Five / Syllabus

“Radar” vector by instructor to traffic pattern (full-panel, hooded).

Prelanding checklist complete, check brake pedal pressures.



PAR approach (traffic permitting) by instructor to “minimums.” (Later, the instructor may keep the trainee under the hood, giving verbal instructions until touchdown on the runway, though this is more of a confidence-building exercise than for practical application.)



Postlanding, postflight checklist, and securing of the airplane.



Postflight instruction.

Evaluation.



Review.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4, Recoveries from Unusual Attitudes). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24, Unusual Attitudes and Situations). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 12 Recoveries from Unusual Attitudes, Full- and Partial-Panel This is a repeat of Units 9 and 11 with the introduction to hooded or IMC spin recoveries. The training airplane may be restricted from spinning, but the subject should be covered in ground instruction.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Review earlier Units as necessary. (Instructor answers questions on maneuvers or procedures discussed or practiced earlier, including the Charlie pattern.)



Recoveries from unusual attitudes.



Spins and approaches to stalls.

Full-panel.



Partial-panel.

Spin recoveries.

Pilot’s Operating Handbook has precedent over the following procedures.



Attitude and heading indicators in most training aircraft are normally not available for spin recoveries (tumbled).



Indications of a spin (partial-panel) are:

Airspeed very low.

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying











Turn indicator pegged in the direction of the rotation. Ball to left in instrument on pilot’s side, right on right side of the panel.



Altimeter shows a high rate of descent.



Vertical speed indicator is pegged since the airplane may be descending at 7,000 fpm or more.

Recovery procedure.

Power off.



Ailerons neutral.



Full rudder opposite to needle or small airplane in the turn indicator.



Ignore the ball position.



When the rudder hits the stop, apply brisk forward motion to the wheel or stick.



Airspeed starts to increase: neutralize the rudder and start the pull-out.



Airspeed hesitates: apply sufficient forward pressure to “stop” the altimeter at the nearest 100-foot indication.



Monitor the turn indicator to maintain straight flight.



As the airspeed approaches cruise, apply cruise power.



Climb and turn to a predetermined altitude and heading, using all instruments available.

Spiral recoveries.

Full-panel.



Partial-panel.

Approach to stall recoveries.

Full-panel.



Partial-panel.

Return to airport (visual) and land.

Flight Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Preflight and pretakeoff checks. Checklist.



Instrument takeoff (optional).



Climb to practice area (hooded), initially full-panel then partial-panel.



Recoveries from unusual attitudes.





S-31

Approach to a climbing stall.

Full-panel.



Partial-panel.

Start of a power-on spiral.

Full-panel.



Partial-panel.

Spin recovery if airplane and airspace permit.

S-32

Part Five / Syllabus



Suggest a break period of VFR flying.



Charlie pattern, if time permits.



Return to the airport. (Use checklist, check brake pedal pressure.)

Instructor may choose to vector the trainee to the pattern for an ASR or PAR approach (hooded) or have the trainee return and land visually, depending on fatigue.



Postlanding and shutdown procedures (checklist).



Postflight instruction.

Evaluation.



Review.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 13 Stage Check This will be a Stage check to confirm that the trainee is competent and ready to move on to Stage 2, the navigation and communications part of the training. The chief pilot or another flight instructor may conduct the check and mark grades 1 (excellent), 2 (good), 3 (average), 4 (below average), or 5 (failure) on this sheet.

Ground, 1.0 Hour The check pilot may review or ask questions on the following subjects of STAGE 1.

Pitch instruments.



Bank instruments.



Scan.



Working speeds of the airplane being used.



Control and performance instruments.



Primary and supporting instruments.



The Four Fundamentals.



Six Basic Maneuvers.



Partial-panel instruments.



Instrument takeoff (optional discussion).

Stage 1 / Airplane Performance and Basic Instrument Flying

S-33

Flight, 1.5 Hours

Preflight check.



Starting.



Taxi.



Instrument takeoff (hooded optional).



Climb (hooded) to practice area.



Four Fundamentals (full-panel).





Straight and level.



Climbs.



Descents.



180° and 360° standard-rate turns.

Recoveries from unusual attitudes (partial-panel).

Approach to a climbing stall.



Recovery from the start of a power-on spiral.



Vectors back to the airport (hooded, full-panel).



Visual pattern entry, pattern, and landing.



Postlanding procedures.



Postshutdown and securing of the aircraft.

Evaluation.



Critique.



Review.

Headwork.



Air discipline.



Attitude toward flying.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 5, VOR). Instructor: IFM (Chapter 5, VOR); FIM (Chapter 25, VOR Airwork). Comments Instructor

Recommendation for Stage 2.



Recommendation for extra time and recheck.

Check pilot Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

S-34

Stage 2 Navigation and Communication



Unit 1 Navigational Aids and Instruments There will be no flying in this Unit, which should be broken into two or three sessions.

Ground Instruction, 3.0 Hours

VHF Omni Range.

Advantages and disadvantages (line of sight, etc.).



Frequency range (108.00–117.95 MHz).



VOR identification.



Accuracy.



Roughness.



VOR receiver check (14 CFR §91.171).

VOT (VOR Test facility).



Airborne receiver checks.



VOR receiver antennas.



Always identify the station.



Discuss the VOR receivers in the particular airplane being used for training.



VOR exercises.

Tracking TO and FROM the station.



Holding.



Double the angle off the bow (IFM Figure 5-14).



Time to the station.



Tracking around the station (IFM Figures 5-23 and 5-24).



Station passage indications (AIM).



VOR intersections using one or two receivers.

“Turning” the airplane (IFM Figures 5-7 and 5-11).



Set up FROM on the cross bearing VOR (IFM Figure 5-12). S-35

S-36

Part Five / Syllabus



HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator) and the VOR (IFM Figure 5-15).



GPS and RNAV (as installed in the training aircraft). If available, use a training application for desktop computer or tablet. If not, practicing in the airplane while hooked to ground power is far superior (and safer) than attempting to do introductory training in the cockpit with the engine running, whether on the ground or in flight. Plenty of time should be taken over a few ground school sessions for the student to acclimate to the system.

GPS overview, RAIM and (generally) WAAS and GBAS.



Advantages and disadvantages, with emphasis on the temptation to be distracted by the system.



Entering routes into the navigation system, whether airways or direct legs.



How to set up a hold at a fix, as published or as cleared. Present position holding.



General overview of approach types, with emphasis on those to be flown during the course. Terminal arrival areas versus more traditional IAFs as approach entry.



How to determine the minimums for the approach being flown (LPV, LP, LNAV/VNAV, or LNAV only).



Flying a VOR or NDB approach using the RNAV system and monitoring raw data.



Approach selection and activation. What the system displays and how to interpret it.



Fault displays and missed approach requirements.



Modified clearance procedures and entering the route to the alternate.

Suggested Break Point

ILS (Instrument Landing System). See IFM Figure 5-27.





Localizer, theory of operation.

Frequency range:108.1 to 111.95 MHz.



Tracking inbound and outbound on the front course.



Using the back course inbound.



ILS/DME arc.

Glide slope.

Different frequency but “paired” to localizer (IFM Figure 5-31).



Glide slope antennas.



Marker beacon.



Marker beacon antennas.



ILS glide slope distortion and false courses.



Rate of descent table (U.S. Terminal Procedures).

Simplified Directional Facility (SDF).

Stage 2 / Navigation and Communication









ADS-B/transponder.

14 CFR §91.215 and §91.225.



Modes A and C.



Flight plan designators /B, /U, etc.



Theory of operation (an airborne radar transceiver).



Codes: VFR and emergency codes.



Identification (IDENT) feature.

Radar altimeter (IFM Figure 5-38).

Use over flat terrain.



Errors over mountainous terrain.

Global positioning system (GPS).

Satellites operated by the Department of Defense.



At least three satellites needed with timing corrections from a fourth.



Discuss equipment for the training aircraft (if available).

Visual descent point (VDP).





S-37

Nonprecision approach aid.

Examination and discussion of the navigation antennas on the airplane being used for the instrument course, plus looking at other airplanes on the flight line with different types of antennas.

Postflight instruction.

Evaluation.



Review.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 6). Instructor: IFM (Chapter 6). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

S-38

Part Five / Syllabus

Unit 2 Communications and ATC This will be a ground session as was Unit 1 and may be broken into two or three sessions. If the trainee is unfamiliar with towers, approach controls, or Air Route Traffic Control Centers, it is suggested that a visit be arranged on one or more of the instrument cross-countries. The variation of facility availability in various areas precludes a set schedule. The instructor can arrange tours or visits as training schedules allow. Reference for this session is the AIM and Chart Supplements U.S.

Ground Instruction, 2.0 Hours (AIM Chapter 4)

Flight Service Stations (AFSS).



Airports without an operating tower.



Provide pilot briefings, en route communications, relay ATC clearances, originate NOTAMs, monitor NAVAIDs, broadcast available weather and National Airspace System information, and receive and process IFR flight plans. Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF).

“The Tower” (local control).

Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS).



Clearance Delivery.









Listen first, before taxi (ground control) or clearance delivery. Primarily a frequency used for IFR clearances before taxi; it may also be used for clearance for VFR departures at busier airports.

Ground Control.

Regulates traffic moving on the taxiways and on those runways not being used for takeoffs and landings.



Pilot is still responsible for unexpected taxi traffic or obstacles.



Stay on the ground control frequency until ready to switch to the tower.



When landing, don’t switch to ground control until tower says so.

Local Control.

Traffic patterns (visual).



Be sure that the N number being used for takeoff or landing clearances is yours.

Departure Control.

Frequency listed on DP or given during clearance delivery. Write it down.



May repeat altitude or heading restrictions or instructions, if necessary.

Approach Control.

Listen to ATIS before contacting approach control.



VFR. Contact about 20 miles out.



IFR. When directed by Center.

Stage 2 / Navigation and Communication





S-39

Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC).

Centers in the United States are primarily for en route flight.



Center sectors.



Remote communications air/ground sites in the sectors (RCAG).



Controllers work each assigned sector on its discrete frequency.



Chart Supplements U.S. have sector frequencies with remote communications — air to ground (RCAF) locations and frequencies.



Instrument departures (DPs).



Radar handoffs. The steps from tower to departure control to Center.



Radar handoffs — Center to approach control to tower.



Instrument arrivals (VOLLS 1 at Nashville as an example).



Loss of radar contact with the Center.



Procedures for working with an FSS.



Position reports.



Letters of agreement between towers and Centers. Areas of control.



Tower en route control.



Center’s handling and routing of the IFR flight plans.

Communications techniques.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.



Listen before communicating and think before keying the mike.



Be alert to a lack of sounds in the receiver(s). (Check volume, recheck frequency, microphone stuck?)



Evaluation.



Review.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 7). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

S-40

Stage 3 Planning the Instrument Flight



Unit 1 Weather Systems and Weather Planning This Unit will consist of ground instruction on basic meteorology and weather services available. Particular attention will be paid to the hazards of flight and how to recognize them both on the ground and in flight. These subjects should be covered in three or more ground school sessions and may be interspersed between the following flight Units.

Ground Instruction, 6.0 Hours



Basic meteorology, Aviation Weather AC 00–6.

Heat and circulation.



Coriolus effect in Northern and Southern hemispheres.



Moisture: temperature and dewpoint effects on the atmosphere’s ability to produce or hold moisture.



Relative humidity.



Lapse rates: normal, dry, and wet.

Pressure areas. Circulation about highs and lows.

Weather effects.



Isobars, lines of equal pressure.



Ridges, troughs, and columns.



Clouds, families.





Low clouds — surface to 6,500 feet in middle latitudes.



Middle clouds — bases 6,500 to 23,000 feet.



High clouds — bases to 16,500 to 45,000 feet.



Clouds with extensive vertical development. Cumulus and cumulonimbus (CB). In extreme cases CBs may go to 60,000 to 70,000 feet.



Nimbo or nimbus in name means precipitation.



How clouds are formed.



Clouds, cumulus and stratus forms.

Fog: Advection, radiation, upslope, precipitation, and ice fog. S-41

S-42

Part Five / Syllabus



Precipitation: Rain, hail, sleet (ice pellets), and snow.



Fronts: Warm, cold occluded, and stationary; the weather (and precipitation) expected with each.

Cold front: Type of clouds and weather turbulence, area covered, and precipitation. Cross-section of the front. Moves faster than warm front.

Squall lines.



Warm front: Expected clouds and weather, extent of area covered. Freezing rain in winter may occur. Cross-section.



Slow moving.



Occluded front: May contain weather of both warm and cold fronts.

Warm front occlusion.



Associated weather.

Cold front occlusion.

Associated weather.



Stationary front.



Frontogenesis and frontolysis.

Suggested break point

Hazards to flight.

Thunderstorms.

How thunderstorms are formed. The three requirements are instability, lifting force, and moisture.



Cumulus clouds. Mature stage, updrafts, downdrafts, and precipitation. Mature stage is the most hazardous.



Dissipating stage, the anvil head. Do not fly under the anvil head; stay at least 10 miles away (VFR).



Turbulence.



Maneuvering and gust envelopes.

15 and 30 fps instantaneous vertical gust effects.



Maneuvering speeds(s).



Gust penetration speeds.



Clear air turbulence.



Autopilot OFF in turbulence.

Altitude Hold could cause overstress.



Hail. How it is formed.



Icing.

Carburetor ice.

Symptom of icing for fixed-pitch and constant-speed propellers.



Full or partial carb heat?



Alternate air.

Stage 3 / Planning the Instrument Flight



Structural icing.

Rime ice characteristics.



Clear ice characteristics.



Ice accretion rates (factors involved).



Deicing and anti-icing systems (when to use).



Reporting structural icing in a PIREPs (see AIM).



Trace, light, moderate, and severe.



Deicing the tied-down airplane.



Ice effects on performance and stability.



Frost.

The effects of frost on takeoff. (It’s not the weight!)



Frost is most likely in the morning after a clear, cold night.



Freezing rain. When it may occur (warm air above).



Lightning.

Hazards on approach and landing.

Microbursts. How they occur.



Windshear (loss of airspeed).



Low-level wind shear alert systems (LLWAS/WSP).

Fog: A 2°C temperature and dewpoint spread could indicate that fog formation may start.



S-43

Types of fog and how they may form.

Advection.



Ground.



Ice.



Precipitation induced.



Radiation.



Sea.



Steam.



Upslope.

Major hazards of fog.

Hydroplaning.

Types and causes of hydroplaning.



Hydroplaning, minimum speed — 8.6 × √tire pressure, psi.

S-44

Part Five / Syllabus

Suggested break point

Weather Services — AC 00–45.



Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov)



Weather charts.





Times issued.



Symbols.

Surface plot.



Radar imagery.



Symbols. Options.

Weather prognostic chart.

Low-level charts to 24,000 feet.

Suggested break point





Hourly reports. Review a typical hourly report.



METAR (meteorological report, aviation routine).



TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast).



Compare earlier METARs with earlier TAFs. (Accuracy of forecasts.)



Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA).



Inflight advisories.

SIGMETs (Significant Meteorological Information).



AIRMETs (Meteorological phenomena that are potentially hazardous to aircraft).



Convective SIGMETs.



ASOS (Automated Surface Observation System) and AWOS.



PIREPs (Pilot Reports).



Wind information.

Winds aloft forecasts.



Winds and temperature aloft charts.



Evaluation.



Critique.

Review.

Stage 3 / Planning the Instrument Flight

S-45

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 6). Instructor: IFM (Chapter 6). Comments Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 2 Charts and Other Graphic Aids This Unit is ground school only and will cover the various requirements and charts to be used in instrument flying.

Ground Instruction, 4.0 Hours The instructor will sign off when all items have been covered (suggested 3 to 4 sessions).

Instrument flight rules.



14 CFR §91.175. Takeoff and Landing under IFR.

En Route charts.

Aeronautical Information Services chart symbols.



Jeppesen chart symbols.



Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type.



Use of the electronic flight bag (EFB), if applicable.



Area charts.



Instrument approach procedure charts.

U.S. coverage approach charts.



Definitions (HAA, HAT, DH/DA, MDA, no PT).



IFR landing minimums.



Planview.





Chart pages are oriented to True North but bearings and courses are magnetic.



Minimum safe altitudes are shown with inbound bearings.

Profile view.

Legend.



Airport sketch or separate airport diagram.



Minimums data.

S-46



Part Five / Syllabus



Alternate requirements.



Takeoff requirements.



Inoperative components.



Lighting.



Runway markings.

Sample approach charts.

Suggested break point





VOR and VOR/DME.



RNAV.



ILS.



RADAR (ASR and PAR [Precision Approach Radar] approaches).



Instrument departure (DP) procedures.



Standard terminal arrival routes (STARs).

Aeronautical Information Manual

Nav aids and procedures.



Emergency procedures.



Safety of flight.



Medical facts for pilots.

Suggested break point

Chart Supplements U.S.

Published every 56 days.



Seven areas/publications available for the continental United States and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands.



Table of contents. Review each item briefly using the publication.

General information.



Abbreviations.



Legend, A/FD.



Pick various airports as examples.



Seaplane landing areas. (Probably not a factor for the instrument pilot.)



Notices.



Land and hold short operations.



FAA and National Weather Service telephone numbers.



Air Route Traffic Control Centers/FSS communications frequencies.



FSDO addresses/telephone numbers.

Stage 3 / Planning the Instrument Flight



S-47



Preferred IFR routes/VFR waypoints/NAR routes.



VOR receiver check.



Parachute jumping areas. Not likely a factor for IFR pilots on airways, but with more direct routing being approved, these areas could, in VFR conditions, be a problem; the pilot is responsible for avoidance.



Aeronautics chart bulletin changes to sectional charts, terminal area, and helicopter route charts.



Tower en route control (TEC).



National Weather Service (NWS) upper air observing stations.

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs).

NOTAM Ds.



TFRs.



Flight Data Center.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapters 8 and 9). Instructor: IFM (Chapters 8 and 9). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

S-48

Part Five / Syllabus

Unit 3 Planning the Navigation The instructor will work with the trainee in setting up a triangular IFR cross-country with approaches at two other airports or two different approach-types at one airport. This is considered the first preplanned flight and should be reasonably simple. The following dual flights should be progressively more complex.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours

Checking the weather, current and forecast (use all available information).



Checking the route.





Marking the chart (paper or electronic).

Choosing an altitude.

Winds.



MEAs (Minimum Enroute Altitudes).



MOCAs (Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitudes).

Flight Log.

Cruising TAS.



Check points.



Estimating wind effects (multiplier, IFM Figure 9-1).



Climb effects.





Fixed gear airplane add ⅔ minute/1,000 feet to be climbed for time en route.



Retractable gear airplane add ½ minute/1,000 feet to be climbed.

Alternate airport.



Requirements (14 CFR §91.169).

Weight and balance computations.

Fuel available, gallons (pounds) and moment(s).



Fuel required for the trip.



Weights and moments of passengers and baggage.



Flight plan, factors to be considered.



NOTAM/TFRs.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 10). Instructor: IFM (Chapter 10). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Stage 4 The Instrument Flight

Unit 1 Before the Takeoff Ground Instruction, 2.0 Hours







Preflight inspection (in addition to “normal” VFR check).

Review com/nav antennas and their positions on the airplane in use.



Prop deicers or anti-icing fluid.



Fuel quick-drains may be frozen in winter if water was present earlier.



Deicing the airplane in a heated hangar — hazards.

Starting.

All avionics OFF before starting.



Nav lights ON before engaging starter(s) at night.



Five minutes required after starting for gyros to spool up.



Cold weather starting.



Hot engine starting.



Use of auxiliary power units for starting.

Taxiing.

Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS).



Clearance delivery before taxiing.



VOT (VOR Test facility).



Ground Control.



Check turn indicator while taxiing.

Pretakeoff check. Special IFR items.

Deicers and anti-icers check.



Avionics check.



At night keep white cabin lights off. Use red flashlight.



Ammeter shows proper indication. S-49

S-50



Part Five / Syllabus



Vacuum pump(s) operating normally.



Make up a special IFR checklist if not already available for your airplane.

Clearances.



Order of items on the clearance. ATC clears:

Aircraft ID.



Clearance limit.



Departure procedure or DP.



Route of flight. (May have been changed by ATC since filed.)



Altitude data in the order to be flown.



Cruise clearances.



Holding instructions (if applicable).



Special information.



Frequencies and beacon code information.



Clearance amendments may be given en route.



Clearance shorthand suggestions.



Clearance readback.

Inflight problems and emergencies.

Loss of nav equipment (unable to comply).



Loss of communications (repeat briefing).



Loss of vacuum/pressure system.

Instruments affected.



Cover the “bad” instruments.



Severe structural icing.



Engine problems.

Carb or intake icing.



Loss of an engine (multiengine).



Rough-running engine (single engine).

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 11). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Stage 4 / The Instrument Flight

S-51

Unit 2 Takeoff and Departure Ground Instruction, 0.5 Hour Flight, 1.5 Hours Special attention is paid as to whether the departure should be made. All avionics and other airplane systems must be fully working. Once the departure is made (actual IMC), the pilot and airplane are committed to the ATC system.

Departure control.



May be restricted in altitude while in the DP jurisdiction.

Safe altitude. Set power and other cockpit chores. Fly the airplane first, then communicate as necessary.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 12). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Navaids used Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 3 En Route Ground Instruction, 2.0 Hour

En Route.

Review of sectors.



Loss of radar contact.



Total loss of communications.

Altitudes to be flown.



Route to be flown (usually the last assigned route/ATC clearance or in original flight plan).



Radar vectors. Go directly to fix, route, or airway specified in the vector clearance.

Position reports.

When position reports are required.



Position report items. Identification of A/C, then PTA-TEN (Position, Time, AltitudeType flight plan, Estimate to next fix, Next fix after that).

S-52









Part Five / Syllabus

Other voice reports. (Should be made to ATC or FSS facilities without a specific ATC request at all times.)

Vacating a previously assigned altitude for a new assigned altitude or flight level.



When an altitude change will be made when operating on a clearance specifying VFR-ON-TOP.



When unable to climb/descend at a rate of at least 500 fpm.



When an approach has been missed. (Request clearance for specific action; i.e., to an alternate airport, another approach, etc.)



When a change in the average true airspeed (at cruising altitude) varies by 5% or 10 knots from that filed.



The time and altitude or flight level upon reaching a holding fix or point to which you are cleared.



When leaving any assigned holding fix or point.



Any loss or impairment of navigation or communication capability while in controlled airspace.



Any information relating to safety of flight.

When not in radar contact:

When leaving final approach inbound on final approach (nonprecision approach) or when leaving the outer marker or fix used in lieu of the outer marker inbound on final approach (precision approach).



Corrected estimate (3 minutes or more off).



Hazardous or unforecast conditions.

Holding patterns.

Standard and nonstandard.



Clearance limits and holding.



Expected further clearance time and when to depart the en route holding pattern.



Holding pattern entries: parallel, teardrop, and direct entry.



VOR and VOR/DME holding patterns.



Holding airspeeds at various altitudes.



Minimum-power-required point on the horsepower-required chart.

Holding in turbulence.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 13). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Navaids used Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Stage 4 / The Instrument Flight

Unit 4 The Instrument Approach and Landing Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour

Know the approaches available at the destination and alternate airports.



ILS approaches.





Front course minimums.



Back course minimums.



Localizer-only minimums.



Other missing component minimums.



ILS/DME arcs.

VOR approach.



VOR/DME approaches.





Minimums and missed approach.

RNAV/GPS approaches.



Minimums and missed approach.

Minimums and missed approach.

Radar-controlled approaches.

Airport surveillance radar (ASR).



Precision approach radar (has lower minimums).



No gyro approach.

Missed approach procedures for each.

Cockpit resource management.



Make a new approach or move on to the alternate: a judgment call.



Minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW).



Going to the alternate.

WARP — Weather, Altitude, Refile, and Procedures.



DRAFT — Destination, Route, Altitude, Fuel, and Time.



Fly the airplane. Voice procedures can wait.



These suggestions apply to any missed approach requiring an alternate.

S-53

S-54

Part Five / Syllabus

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapters 11, 12, and 13). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Navaids used Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 5 IFR Cross-Country Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours The trainee will plan a 2-hour cross-country IFR flight with two different types of approaches to be repeated as training and traffic permit. As noted in the Syllabus introduction, the trainee may be flying from an airport or have airports nearby so that an early start on the various approaches may be available and practiced before getting into Stage 4 here. This would work well, but the basic instrument flying requirements should not be neglected in order to do this. Some instructors get bored with the basic maneuvers and are too eager to move on to “real” instrument flying. This can result in a problem for trainees. This local availability of approaches should be considered in this unit and the cross-country units to follow. Note that Unit 7 has a review of basic instrument flying to make sure that the trainee hasn’t forgotten basic instrument flying, and it provides a needed break. Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 12). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Airports/Approaches (ILS, VOR, etc.) Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Stage 4 / The Instrument Flight

S-55

Unit 6 IFR Cross-Country Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours The trainee will plan a 2-hour cross-country IFR flight to airports other than those flown to in Unit 5. Different approaches, including ILS, VOR, or RNAV will be completed. Holding with VOR receiver or RNAV will be practiced at one of the new facilities. Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapter 4). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 24). Comments Airports/Approaches (ILS, VOR, etc.) Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 7 Basic Instrument Flying This Unit will be a review of basic instrument flying including recoveries from unusual attitudes (hooded, fullpanel, and partial-panel).

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 1.5 Hours



Review of the Four Fundamentals.

Straight and level.



Climbs.



Descents.



Turns.

Basic maneuvers, full-panel (heading ±10°, altitude ±100 feet, airspeed ±10 knots).

Straight and level.



180° turns (±10° of recovery headings, ±100 feet).



Climbing turns to a predetermined altitude and heading (±10°, ±100 feet — final altitude, ±10 knots).



Descending turns to a predetermined altitude and heading (±10°, ±100 feet — final altitude, ±10 knots).

S-56





Part Five / Syllabus

Recovery from unusual attitudes.

Power-on spiral.



Approach to a climbing stall.



Spin recoveries (by instruments).

The instrument takeoff.

When is it necessary, if at all.



Setting of attitude indicator and heading indicator after runway line-up.



Smooth opening of throttle(s).



Maintain exact heading.



Rotate to proper attitude at ____ knots.



Maintain climb attitude.



Attitude indicator may read high because of acceleration, causing the pilot to adjust to a too-low attitude right after takeoff.



Gear up at 100 feet AGL or above.



Contact departure control when the airplane is in a controlled climb.



Discuss concept of clearance void time when not at a controlled field.

Flight Instruction, 1.5 Hours (Use checklist)

Preflight inspection.



Starting and taxiing.



Check turn indicator while taxiing.

Run-up and pretakeoff check.

Pay special attention to amps and suction instruments in addition to other instruments and systems.



Communications procedures.



Instrument takeoff (ITO, hooded).





Line-up.



Directional control.



Rotation to proper pitch at the correct airspeed.

Climbing to prechosen altitude and heading.



Leveling procedures.

Four Fundamentals.

Straight and level.



Climbs.



Descents.



Turns.

Stage 4 / The Instrument Flight







S-57

Basic (normal) maneuvers (hooded, full-panel).

Straight and level (heading ±10°, altitude ±100 feet, airspeed ±10 knots).



180° level turns (±10° of recovery headings, ±100 feet).



Climbing turns to a predetermined altitude and heading (±10° on roll-out, 10 knots, and within 100 feet of final altitude).



Descending turns to a predetermined altitude and heading (±10° on roll-out, ±100 feet, ±10 knots).

Recovery from unusual attitudes (hooded, full-panel).

Power-on spiral.



Approach to a climbing stall.



Spins (optional, using partial-panel instruments).

Return to airport (hooded, full-panel — if conditions permit).

Checklist use.



Instructor acts as “approach control radar.”



Heading (±10°, altitudes ±100 feet, airspeeds ±10 knots).



Landing (visual).



Postlanding procedures.

Taxi.



Shutdown.



Postflight inspection.

Assigned Reading — Trainee: IFM (Chapters 11, 12, and 13). Instructor: FIM (Chapter 25). Comments Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

S-58

Unit 8 Long IFR Cross-Country This will be the trip as required by 14 CFR §61.65 and will be a flight performed under IFR, consisting of a distance of at least 250 NM along airways or ATC-directed routing with one segment of the flight consisting of at least a straight-line distance of 100 NM between airports. It is suggested that a triangular IFR cross-country be made to three airports with a different type of approach made at each.

Ground Instruction, 1.5 Hours Flight, 4.0 Hours Comments Airports Approaches (types) Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Stage 5 The Knowledge Test



Before taking the FAA Knowledge Exam, a review of the following is in order. There is no suggested time for each subject. Use the following items as a checklist to ensure that no area of the knowledge test and subsequent experience as an instrument-rated pilot is neglected. The suggested 4.0 hours of review should be broken into two or more sessions at the discretion of the trainee and/or instructor.

Ground Instruction, 4 Hours (in at least 2 sessions)

ATC, general.



Flight rules — general.



Instrument flight rules.



Equipment, instrument, and certification.



Maintenance, preventive.



Maintenance and alterations.



14 CFR, general.



Emergency flight by reference to instruments.



Training considerations.



Instrument flying: Coping with illusions in flight.



Basic flight instruments.



Attitude instrument flying — airplanes.



Electronic aids to instrument flying.



Using the navigation instruments.



Radio communications, facilities, and equipment.



The Federal Airways System and controlled airspace.



Air traffic control.



ATC operations and procedures.



Flight planning.



The earth’s atmosphere.



Temperature.



Atmospheric pressure and altimetry.



Wind. S-59

S-60

Part Five / Syllabus



Moisture, cloud formation, and precipitation.



Stable and unstable air.



Clouds.



Air masses and fronts.



Turbulence.



Icing.



Thunderstorms.



Common IFR producers.



High altitude weather.



Glossary of weather terms.



The Aviation Weather Service Program.



Surface aviation weather reports.



Pilot and radar reports and satellite pictures.



Aviation weather forecasts.



Surface Analysis Chart.



GFA tool.



Radar Coded Message plot.



Winds and temperatures aloft.



Constant Pressure charts.



Tropopause Data Chart.



Air navigation radio aids.



Radar services and procedures.



Airport light aids.



Air navigation and obstruction lighting.



Airport marking aids and signs.



Airspace, general.



Service available to pilots.



Radio communications phraseology and techniques.



ATC clearance/separations.



Preflight.



Departure procedures.



En route procedures.



Arrival procedures.



Pilot/controller roles and responsibilities.



Emergency procedures, general.



Distress and urgency procedures



Two-way radio communications failure.

Stage 5 / The Knowledge Test



Wake turbulence.



Potential flight hazards.



Fitness for flight.



Types of charts available.



Chart Supplements U.S.



En Route Low-Altitude charts.



En Route High-Altitude charts.



Terminal charts.



Instrument Departure (DP) Chart.



Standard Terminal Arrival (STAR) Chart.



Instrument approach procedures (IAP).

S-61

Authorization to take the Aeronautical Knowledge Test, reference, 14 CFR §61.35 (a)(1) and 61.65 (a) and (b). I certify that Mr./Ms. has received the required training for 61.65(b). I have determined that he/she is prepared for the Instrument (ASEL) Knowledge test. Signed Date Number Expiration This Stage includes more IFR cross-country and a review of basic instruments including partial-panel work in preparation for the checkride. Review Chapter 15 of this book for an outline of the Practical Test requirements.

S-62

Stage 6 The Practical Test

Unit 1 IFR Cross-Country

The trainee will plan a 2-hour cross-country to a different airport(s) than used for destinations before, if possible. If not feasible, an attempt should be made to execute different types of approaches than used in earlier trips. File IFR.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours Comments Airports/Approaches (Example of Airports/Approaches: BNA-ILS, VOR; HSV-ILS, RNAV, etc.) Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 2 Basic Instrument Flying This flight (airplane or flight training device) will consist of a review of basic instrument flying, including a short period of partial-panel work.

S-63

S-64

Part Five / Syllabus

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours

Review of basic instrument flying. All maneuvers hooded and full-panel unless noted otherwise.



Briefing for the flight.

ITO (full-panel, hooded).



Climb to practice area (partial-panel).



Holding using one VOR or RNAV (partial-panel).



Vertical S-1 and/or S-2. (IFM Figure 4-17 and FIM Figures 24-17 and 24-18.)



Steep turns (45° bank, 180° turn, full-panel).



Charlie pattern (optional). (IFM Figure 4-22 and FIM Figure 24-28.)



Recoveries from unusual attitudes (partial-panel).





Power-on spiral.



Approach to a climbing stall.



Discussion only of spin recoveries (partial-panel) IFM Figures 4-36–4-41.

Return to airport (visually).

Flight Instruction, 2.0 Hours

ITO (full-panel, hooded).



Climb to practice area (partial-panel).



Holding at VOR or RNAV waypoint.



Vertical S-1 and/or S-2 (partial-panel).



Steep turns (45° banks, 720° turns both ways, full-panel).





Charlie pattern (optional). May take up time that could be used on other maneuvers.

Recoveries from unusual attitudes.

Approach to a climbing stall.



Power-on spiral.

Visual return to airport.

Communications.



Landing.



Postlanding procedures.



Post shutdown procedures.

Comments Airports/Approaches

Stage 6 / The Practical Test

S-65

Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 3 IFR Cross-Country and Approaches The trainee and instructor will fly to the nearest airport/facility to shoot two or three types of approaches.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours A review of approaches made thus far in the course and a briefing for this flight. Comments Airports/Approaches Instructor Date Aircraft type/model

Ground Instruction N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

S-66

Part Five / Syllabus

Unit 4 General Review and Extra Practice Flights as Required This Unit(s) will be used at the discretion of the instructor and trainee to complete the flight hour requirements (to 40 hours) of 14 CFR §61.65 and at least 3 hours of instrument training in preparation for the practical test within the last 60 days before the practical test. The instructor will cover the requirements for the instrument rating and review the FAA Knowledge Exam and flying elements of the Airman Certification Standards.

Ground Instruction, 2.0 Hours Flight, 3.0 Hours Comments Airports/Approaches Instructor Date

Ground Instruction

Aircraft type/model

N Number

Flight Time Trainee Initials

Unit 5 Final School Practical Check A final check by the chief pilot or another instructor/check pilot before recommending the trainee for the FAA Practical Test.

Ground Instruction, 1.0 Hour Flight, 2.0 Hours

Extra time and school recheck required.



Passed, ready for FAA Practical Test.

Reference Paragraphs 61.65 (a)(6). has received the required training for I certify that Mr./Ms. 61.65(c) and (d). I have determined that he/she is prepared for the Practical Test (ASEL). Signed Date

Number

Expiration

Stage 6 / The Practical Test

S-67

Unit 6 FAA Practical Test Checklist Allow 3.0 hours ground and 3.0 hours flight for the Practical Test.

Private pilot certificate and current medical certificate.



Logbook. All endorsements correct, including stage checks and recommendations for Knowledge and Practical Test.



Charts (en route and approach), Chart Supplements U.S., plus computers.



Airplane papers and logbooks in order.



Examiner’s fee.



Graduation certificate, if applicable.



IACRA Application for Practical Test correctly filled out and signed.

Date PASSED

Temporary certificate issued

FAA Inspector or Examiner FAILED Notes and Comments Student Initials

Recheck required.

S-68

Appendix A Chart Supplement U.S.: Airport/Facility Directory Legend

A-1

A-2

Appendices

4 Abbreviations

GENERAL INFORMATION ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations/acronyms are those commonly used within this Directory. Other abbreviations/acronyms may be found in the Legend and are not duplicated below. The abbreviations presented are intended to represent grammatical variations of the basic form. (Example–“req” may mean “request”, “requesting”, “requested”, or “requests”). Abbreviation ..............Description A/G ........................... air/ground AAF .......................... Army Air Field AAS .......................... Airport Advisory Service AB ............................ Airbase abm .......................... abeam ABn .......................... Aerodrome Beacon abv ........................... above ACC .......................... Air Combat Command Area Control Center acft ........................... aircraft ACLS......................... Automatic Carrier Landing System act ............................ activity ACWS ....................... Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron ADA .......................... Advisory Area ADCC ........................ Air Defense Control Center ADCUS...................... Advise Customs addn ......................... addition ADF .......................... Automatic Direction Finder adj ............................ adjacent admin ....................... administration ADR.......................... Advisory Route advs.......................... advise advsy ........................ advisory AEIS.......................... Aeronautical Enroute Information Service AER .......................... approach end rwy AFA........................... Army Flight Activity AFB .......................... Air Force Base afct ........................... affect AFFF ......................... Aqueous Film Forming Foam AFHP ........................ Air Force Heliport AFIS.......................... Automatic Flight Information Service afld ........................... airfield AFOD ........................ Army Flight Operations Detachment AFR .......................... Air Force Regulation AFRC ........................ Armed Forces Reserve Center/Air Force Reserve Command AFRS ........................ American Forces Radio Stations AFS........................... Air Force Station AFSS......................... Automated Flight Service Station AFTN ........................ Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network AG ............................ Agriculture A–G, A–GEAR ............ Arresting Gear agcy .......................... Agency AGL .......................... above ground level AHP .......................... Army heliport AID ........................... Airport Information Desk AIS ........................... Aeronautical Information Services AL ............................ Approach and Landing Chart ALF........................... Auxiliary Landing Field ALS........................... Approach Light System ALSF–1 ..................... High Intensity ALS Category I configuration with sequenced Flashers (code) ALSF–2 ..................... High Intensity ALS Category II configuration with sequenced Flashers (code) alt............................. altitude altn ........................... alternate

Abbreviation.............. Description AM ........................... Amplitude Modulation, midnight til noon AMC ......................... Air Mobility Command amdt......................... amendment AMSL ....................... Above Mean Sea Level ANGS ....................... Air National Guard Station ant ........................... antenna AOE.......................... Airport/Aerodrome of Entry AP............................ Area Planning APAPI ....................... Abbreviated Precision Approach Path Indicator apch ......................... approach apn........................... apron APP.......................... Approach Control Apr ........................... April aprx.......................... approximate APU ......................... Auxiliary Power Unit apv, apvl ................... approve, approval ARB.......................... Air Reserve Base ARCAL (CANADA) ...... Aircraft Radio Control of Aerodrome Lighting ARFF ........................ Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting ARINC ...................... Aeronautical Radio Inc arng.......................... arrange arpt .......................... airport arr ............................ arrive ARS.......................... Air Reserve Station ARSA........................ Airport Radar Service Area ARSR........................ Air Route Surveillance Radar ARTCC ...................... Air Route Traffic Control Center AS ............................ Air Station ASAP ........................ as soon as possible ASDA........................ Accelerate–Stop Distance Available ASDE........................ Airport Surface Detection ASDE–X .................... Airport Surface Detection Equipment–Model X asgn ......................... assign ASL .......................... Above Sea Level ASOS ........................ Automated Surface Observing System ASR.......................... Airport Surveillance Radar ASSC ........................ Airport Surface Surveillance Capability ASU.......................... Aircraft Starting Unit ATA .......................... Actual Time of Arrival ATC .......................... Air Traffic Control ATCC ........................ Air Traffic Control Center ATCT ........................ Airport Traffic Control Tower ATD .......................... Actual Time of Departure Along Track Distance ATIS ......................... Automatic Terminal Information Service ATS .......................... Air Traffic Service attn .......................... attention Aug .......................... August auth.......................... authority auto.......................... automatic AUW ........................ All Up Weight (gross weight) aux ........................... auxiliary AVASI ....................... abbreviated VASI avbl .......................... available AvGas ....................... Aviation gasoline avn ........................... aviation AvOil......................... aviation oil

SE, 25 APR 2019 to 20 JUN 2019

Appendix A / Chart Supplement U.S.: Airport/Facility Directory Legend

12

AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY LEGEND SAMPLE

SECTION 1: AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY LEGEND

1 2

CITY NAME AIRPORT NAME 200 B 11 18

19

20

21

22

23 24 25 26 27

A-3

3

4

5

6

8

7

JACKSONVILLE COPTER H–4G, L–19C IAP, DIAP, AD

(ALTERNATE NAME) (LTS)(KLTS) CIV/MIL 3 N UTC–6(–5DT) N34º41.93´ W99º20.20´ TPA—1000(800) AOE LRA Class IV, ARFF Index A NOTAM FILE ORL Not insp.

12

13

14

16

15

17

RWY 18–36:H12004X200 (ASPH–CONC–GRVD) S–90, D–160, 2D–300 PCN 80 R/B/W/T HIRL CL 9 RWY 18: RLLS. MALSF. TDZL. REIL. PAPI(P2R)—GA 3.0º TCH 36´. RVR–TMR. Thld dsplcd 300´. Trees. Rgt tfc. 0.3% up. RWY 36: ALSF1. 0.4% down. RWY 09–27: H6000X150 (ASPH) MIRL RWY 173–353: H3515X150 (ASPH–PFC) AUW PCN 59 F/A/W/T LAND AND HOLD–SHORT OPERATIONS LDG RWY HOLD–SHORT POINT AVBL LDG DIST RWY 18 09–27 6500 RWY 36 09–27 5400 RUNWAY DECLARED DISTANCE INFORMATION RWY 18: TORA–12004 TODA–12004 ASDA–11704 LDA–11504 RWY 36: TORA–12004 TODA–12004 ASDA–12004 LDA–11704 ARRESTING GEAR/SYSTEM RWY 18 HOOK E5 (65´ OVRN) BAK–14 BAK–12B (1650´) BAK–14 BAK–12B (1087´) HOOK E5 (74´ OVRN) RWY 36 SERVICE: S4 FUEL 100LL, JET A OX 1, 3 LGT ACTIVATE MALSR Rwy 29, REIL Rwy 11, VASI Rwy 11, HIRL Rwy 11–29, PAPI Rwy 17 and Rwy 35, MIRL Rwy 17–35—CTAF. MILITARY— A–GEAR E–5 connected on dep end, disconnected on apch end. JASU 3(AM32A–60) 2(A/M32A–86) FUEL J8(Mil)(NC–100, A) 10 FLUID W SP PRESAIR LOX OIL O–128 MAINT S1 Mon–Fri 1000–2200Z‡ TRAN ALERT Avbl 1300–0200Z‡ svc limited weekends. AIRPORT REMARKS: Special Air Traffic Rules—Part 93, see Regulatory Notices. Attended 1200–0300Z‡. Parachute Jumping. Deer invof arpt. Heavy jumbo jet training surface to 9000´. Twy A clsd indef. Flight Notification Service (ADCUS) avbl. MILITARY REMARKS: ANG PPR/Official Business Only. Base OPS DSN 638–4390, C503–335–4222. Ctc Base OPS 15 minutes prior to ldg and after dep. Limited tran parking. AIRPORT MANAGER: (580) 481–5739 WEATHER DATA SOURCES: AWOS–1 120.3 (202) 426–8000. LAWRS. COMMUNICATIONS: SFA CTAF 122.8 UNICOM 122.95 ATIS 127.25 273.5 (202) 426–8003 PTD 372.2 NAME FSS (ORL) on arpt. 123.65 122.65 122.2 NAME RCO 112.2T 112.1R (NAME RADIO) NAME APP/DEP CON 128.35 257.725 (1200–0400Z‡) TOWER 119.65 255.6 (1200–0400Z‡) GND CON 121.7 GCO 135.075 (ORLANDO CLNC) CLNC DEL 125.55 CPDLC D–HZWXR, D–TAXI, DCL (LOGON KMEM) NAME COMD POST (GERONIMO) 311.0 321.4 6761 PMSV METRO 239.8 NAME OPS 257.5 AIRSPACE: CLASS B See VFR Terminal Area Chart. VOR TEST FACILITY (VOT): 116.7 RADIO AIDS TO NAVIGATION: NOTAM FILE ORL. VHF/DF ctc FSS. (H) VORTAC 112.2 MCO Chan 59 N28º32.55´ W81º20.12´ at fld. 1110/8E. (H) TACAN Chan 29 CBU (109.2) N28º32.65´ W81º21.12´ at fld. 1115/8E. HERNY NDB (LOM) 221 OR N28º37.40´ W81º21.05´ 177º 5.4 NM to fld. ILS/DME 108.5 I–ORL Chan 22 Rwy 18. Class IIE. LOM HERNY NDB. ASR/PAR (1200–0400Z‡) COMM/NAV/WEATHER REMARKS: Emerg frequency 121.5 not avbl at twr.

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HELIPAD H1: H100X75 (ASPH) HELIPAD H2: H60X60 (ASPH) HELIPORT REMARKS: Helipad H1 lctd on general aviation side and H2 lctd on air carrier side of arpt.

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187 TPA 1000(813) WATERWAY 15–33: 5000X425 (WATER) SEAPLANE REMARKS: Birds roosting and feeding areas along river banks. Seaplanes operating adjacent to SW side of arpt not visible from twr and are required to ctc twr. All bearings and radials are magnetic unless otherwise specified. All mileages are nautical unless otherwise noted. All times are Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) except as noted. All elevations are in feet above/below Mean Sea Level (MSL) unless otherwise noted. The horizontal reference datum of this publication is North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83), which for charting purposes is considered equivalent to World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84).

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Appendices

AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY LEGEND

13 

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Appendix A / Chart Supplement U.S.: Airport/Facility Directory Legend

14

AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY LEGEND LEGEND

This directory is a listing of data on record with the FAA on public–use airports, military airports and selected private–use airports specifically requested by the Department of Defense (DoD) for which a DoD Instrument Approach Procedure has been published in the U.S. Terminal Procedures Publication. Additionally this listing contains data for associated terminal control facilities, air route traffic control centers, and radio aids to navigation within the conterminous United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Civil airports and joint Civil/Military airports which are open to the public are listed alphabetically by state, associated city and airport name and cross–referenced by airport name. Military airports and private–use (limited civil access) joint Military/Civil airports are listed alphabetically by state and official airport name and cross–referenced by associated city name. Navaids, flight service stations and remote communication outlets that are associated with an airport, but with a different name, are listed alphabetically under their own name, as well as under the airport with which they are associated. The listing of an airport as open to the public in this directory merely indicates the airport operator's willingness to accommodate transient aircraft, and does not represent that the airport conforms with any Federal or local standards, or that it has been approved for use on the part of the general public. Military airports, private–use airports, and private–use (limited civil access) joint Military/Civil airports are open to civil pilots only in an emergency or with prior permission. See Special Notice Section, Civil Use of Military Fields. The information on obstructions is taken from reports submitted to the FAA. Obstruction data has not been verified in all cases. Pilots are cautioned that objects not indicated in this tabulation (or on the airports sketches and/or charts) may exist which can create a hazard to flight operation. Detailed specifics concerning services and facilities tabulated within this directory are contained in the Aeronautical Information Manual, Basic Flight Information and ATC Procedures. The legend items that follow explain in detail the contents of this Directory and are keyed to the circled numbers on the sample on the preceding pages. 1

CITY/AIRPORT NAME

Civil and joint Civil/Military airports which are open to the public are listed alphabetically by state and associated city. Where the city name is different from the airport name the city name will appear on the line above the airport name. Airports with the same associated city name will be listed alphabetically by airport name and will be separated by a dashed rule line. A solid rule line will separate all others. FAA approved helipads and seaplane landing areas associated with a land airport will be separated by a dotted line. Military airports and private–use (limited civil access) joint Military/Civil airports are listed alphabetically by state and official airport name. 2

ALTERNATE NAME

Alternate names, if any, will be shown in parentheses. 3

LOCATION IDENTIFIER

The location identifier is a three or four character FAA code followed by a four–character ICAO code, when assigned, to airports. If two different military codes are assigned, both codes will be shown with the primary operating agency’s code listed first. These identifiers are used by ATC in lieu of the airport name in flight plans, flight strips and other written records and computer operations. Zeros will appear with a slash to differentiate them from the letter “O”. 4

OPERATING AGENCY

Airports within this directory are classified into two categories, Military/Federal Government and Civil airports open to the general public, plus selected private–use airports. The operating agency is shown for military, private–use and joint use airports. The operating agency is shown by an abbreviation as listed below. When an organization is a tenant, the abbreviation is enclosed in parenthesis. No classification indicates the airport is open to the general public with no military tenant. A US Army MC Marine Corps AFRC Air Force Reserve Command MIL/CIV Joint Use Military/Civil Limited Civil Access AF US Air Force N Navy ANG Air National Guard NAF Naval Air Facility AR US Army Reserve NAS Naval Air Station ARNG US Army National Guard NASA National Air and Space Administration CG US Coast Guard P US Civil Airport Wherein Permit Covers Use by Transient Military Aircraft CIV/MIL Joint Use Civil/Military Open to the Public PVT Private Use Only (Closed to the Public) DND Department of National Defense Canada 5

AIRPORT LOCATION

Airport location is expressed as distance and direction from the center of the associated city in nautical miles and cardinal points, e.g., 3 N. 6

TIME CONVERSION

Hours of operation of all facilities are expressed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and shown as “Z” time. The directory indicates the number of hours to be subtracted from UTC to obtain local standard time and local daylight saving time UTC–5(–4DT). The symbol ‡ indicates that during periods of Daylight Saving Time (DST) effective hours will be one hour earlier than shown. In those areas where daylight saving time is not observed the (–4DT) and ‡ will not be shown. Daylight saving time is in effect from 0200 local time the second Sunday in March to 0200 local time the first Sunday in November. Canada and all U.S. Conterminous States observe daylight saving time except Arizona and Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. If the state observes daylight saving time and the operating times are other than daylight saving times, the operating hours will include the dates, times and no ‡ symbol will be shown, i.e., April 15–Aug 31 0630–1700Z, Sep 1–Apr 14 0600–1700Z.

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Appendices

AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY LEGEND 7

15

GEOGRAPHIC POSITION OF AIRPORT—AIRPORT REFERENCE POINT (ARP)

Positions are shown as hemisphere, degrees, minutes and hundredths of a minute and represent the approximate geometric center of all usable runway surfaces. 8

CHARTS

Charts refer to the Sectional Chart and Low and High Altitude Enroute Chart and panel on which the airport or facility is depicted. Pacific Enroute Chart will be indicated by P. Area Enroute Charts will be indicated by A. Helicopter Chart depictions will be indicated as COPTER. IFR Gulf of Mexico West and IFR Gulf of Mexico Central will be referenced as GOMW and GOMC. 9

INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURES, AIRPORT DIAGRAMS

IAP indicates an airport for which a prescribed (Public Use) FAA Instrument Approach Procedure has been published. DIAP indicates an airport for which a prescribed DoD Instrument Approach Procedure has been published in the U.S. Terminal Procedures. See the Special Notice Section of this directory, Civil Use of Military Fields and the Aeronautical Information Manual 5–4–5 Instrument Approach Procedure Charts for additional information. AD indicates an airport for which an airport diagram has been published. Airport diagrams are located in the back of each Chart Supplement volume alphabetically by associated city and airport name. 10

AIRPORT SKETCH

The airport sketch, when provided, depicts the airport and related topographical information as seen from the air and should be used in conjunction with the text. It is intended as a guide for pilots in VFR conditions. Symbology that is not self–explanatory will be reflected in the sketch legend. The airport sketch will be oriented with True North at the top. Airport sketches will be added incrementally. 11

ELEVATION

The highest point of an airport's usable runways measured in feet from mean sea level. When elevation is sea level it will be indicated as “00”. When elevation is below sea level a minus “−” sign will precede the figure. 12

ROTATING LIGHT BEACON

B indicates rotating beacon is available. Rotating beacons operate sunset to sunrise unless otherwise indicated in the AIRPORT REMARKS or MILITARY REMARKS segment of the airport entry. 13

TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE

Traffic Pattern Altitude (TPA)—The first figure shown is TPA above mean sea level. The second figure in parentheses is TPA above airport elevation. TPA will only be published if they differ from the recommended altitudes as described in the AIM, Traffic Patterns. Multiple TPA shall be shown as “TPA—See Remarks” and detailed information shall be shown in the Airport or Military Remarks Section. Traffic pattern data for USAF bases, USN facilities, and U.S. Army airports (including those on which ACC or U.S. Army is a tenant) that deviate from standard pattern altitudes shall be shown in Military Remarks. 14

AIRPORT OF ENTRY, LANDING RIGHTS, AND CUSTOMS USER FEE AIRPORTS

U.S. CUSTOMS USER FEE AIRPORT—Private Aircraft operators are frequently required to pay the costs associated with customs processing. AOE—Airport of Entry. A customs Airport of Entry where permission from U.S. Customs is not required to land. However, at least one hour advance notice of arrival is required. LRA—Landing Rights Airport. Application for permission to land must be submitted in advance to U.S. Customs. At least one hour advance notice of arrival is required. NOTE: Advance notice of arrival at both an AOE and LRA airport may be included in the flight plan when filed in Canada or Mexico. Where Flight Notification Service (ADCUS) is available the airport remark will indicate this service. This notice will also be treated as an application for permission to land in the case of an LRA. Although advance notice of arrival may be relayed to Customs through Mexico, Canada, and U.S. Communications facilities by flight plan, the aircraft operator is solely responsible for ensuring that Customs receives the notification. (See Customs, Immigration and Naturalization, Public Health and Agriculture Department requirements in the International Flight Information Manual for further details.) U.S. CUSTOMS AIR AND SEA PORTS, INSPECTORS AND AGENTS Northeast Sector (New England and Atlantic States—ME to MD) 407–975–1740 Southeast Sector (Atlantic States—DC, WV, VA to FL) 407–975–1780 Central Sector (Interior of the US, including Gulf states—MS, AL, LA) 407–975–1760 Southwest East Sector (OK and eastern TX) 407–975–1840 Southwest West Sector (Western TX, NM and AZ) 407–975–1820 Pacific Sector (WA, OR, CA, HI and AK) 407–975–1800 15

CERTIFICATED AIRPORT (14 CFR PART 139)

Airports serving Department of Transportation certified carriers and certified under 14 CFR part 139 are indicated by the Class and the ARFF Index; e.g. Class I, ARFF Index A, which relates to the availability of crash, fire, rescue equipment. Class I airports can have an ARFF Index A through E, depending on the aircraft length and scheduled departures. Class II, III, and IV will always carry an Index A. AIRPORT CLASSIFICATIONS Type of Air Carrier Operation

Class I

Class II

Scheduled Air Carrier Aircraft with 31 or more passenger seats Unscheduled Air Carrier Aircraft with 31 or more passengers seats

X X

X

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Class III

Class IV X

Appendix A / Chart Supplement U.S.: Airport/Facility Directory Legend

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AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY LEGEND Type of Air Carrier Operation Scheduled Air Carrier Aircraft with 10 to 30 passenger seats

Class I

Class II

Class III

X

X

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Class IV

INDICES AND AIRCRAFT RESCUE AND FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS Airport Index

Required No. Vehicles

A

1

Aircraft Length